Kingdom High Boarding School
by ManontheMountain
Summary: Twins Roxas and Sora are finally going to a real school! After spending their lives traveling with their parents and being taught by private tutors, the boys are excited to stay in one place for a while. However, a new school brings a lot of changes to their lives-some that they never expected. After Kingdom High Boarding School, they will never be the same. Rated: MA
1. Chapter 1

Kingdom High Boarding School

Chapter I

Two boys walked hand-in-hand down an empty hall, consulting the laminated map they had been given at the office. Their shoulders brushed as they moved closer together for a moment then pulled away to split, one turning left down another hall and the other continuing in a straight line. It was an almost painful separation, but to their dismay, they were not in the same class.

The boy who had turned glanced at each door he passed, searching for Room 304. His step slowed when he found it; he swallowed nervously and knocked.

"Come in," a voice said, but it was more like an order. The boy opened the door and stuck his head in the room.

"Is this chemistry?" he asked shyly.

The teacher, a tall, older gentleman with blonde hair and a chilly disposition looked at him down his nose then looked at an attendance sheet.

"…Roxas Strife, I presume."

The boy, Roxas, nodded and stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. "Yes, sir." He could feel the eyes of the entire class on him and forced himself not to glance at them all.

"The bell rang over seven minutes ago, mister Strife," the teacher said, glancing at his watch. "You will receive a tardy. Do not let it happen again. Now, take your seat so we may begin class."

"Yes, sir," Roxas mumbled, making his way to the back of the room, where he sat alone at a lab table. The seniors turned back to the front as the teacher rapped his ruler on his desk.

"First," the teacher started, turning his back to the room and starting to write on the chalkboard in clear, plain print, "we will discuss the rules of my classroom…"

Roxas sat with his elbow on the table and his chin propped in his hand, staring straight forward but not really listening. He didn't want to be in this class, not with the seniors, not without Sora. He was only a sophomore, after all, and they intimidated him more than a little. Stupid placement exams. If it weren't for them he would be in physical science with Sora instead of chemistry. He sighed, hating how alone he felt without the brunette boy by his side. His only comfort was that he and Sora had almost all of their classes together.

Science was not one of them.

Pulling his class schedule out of his pocket, Roxas looked the list over, noticing again that P.E. was a sophomore/senior class at the end of the day. He was glad he and Sora could go home to shower instead of using the locker room.

Roxas had absolutely no interest in showering with a bunch of other guys, especially not the seniors. He glanced around the room, taking in the tall profiles of the older students. They were all eighteen or nineteen, and he was only fifteen, even younger than the other sophomores because he and Sora had started school a year early. Even Sora was a few minutes older than him.

He sighed, resigned to his fate of being the baby of the class.

Something fluttered at the edge of his vision, drawing his attention; he turned his head slightly to look without it looking like he was looking. A small, folded square of notebook paper lay on his desk. He glanced around the room to see who the note was from but no one was looking his way.

Apprehensive, sure it was some sort of cruel joke or prank, he picked up the note and opened it quietly, trying to avoid catching the teacher's attention. When the words scribbled on the page were revealed, Roxas only stared in surprise.

"Hey, Baby Blues," the note began, and Roxas knew the writer meant his eyes. For some reason the nickname brought a slight blush to his cheeks. "What's a cute kid like you doing in Professor Vexen's chemistry class?"

Cute? Roxas read the note again. Someone thought he was cute? His eyes scanned the room again, looking for a girl who might be watching. But there were none. Every single student in the room sat looking up at Professor Vexen, who was busy filling the chalkboard with a list of things he would not tolerate in his class.

With a shrug, Roxas picked up his pencil and started his reply in a messy scrawl.

Two tables to the left and one back, a boy, a young man, really, sat with his booted feet propped up on the table as he leaned back on his stool. Emerald green eyes watched the younger blonde boy the way a cat watches its prey. The man watched him scribbling a reply and grinned to himself as he ran a hand through his mass of spiky red hair. It was always fun when new students came to Kingdom High, and the redheaded senior particularly liked the blonde boy. With his spiky blonde hair, deep blue eyes and slight pink blush, he was adorable. A fact that was enforced as the boy—Roxas, Professor Vexen had called him—nibbled thoughtfully on his bottom lip as he contemplated what he had written. The older boy watched as the blonde's lip turned a delicate shade of pink, and he wondered what it would be like to nibble that soft lip, what the younger boy would taste like.

His mouth watered just thinking about it. A smirk curved his lips as he watched the blonde boy refold the note carefully before looking around, obviously wondering how he was supposed to return the note. Right on time, the student to Roxas' left coughed lightly to catch his attention; he held his hand out into the aisle, still looking at the professor.

The senior watched as sudden understanding lit up the new boy's blue eyes and he passed the note. Within moments it was back on his own desk, his classmates having skillfully passed it amongst themselves without the teacher noticing.

Taking his time, he unfolded the paper and read the reply.

"Placement exams. Principal Xemnas didn't give me a choice. I'm Roxas, by the way."

Then he had skipped a line.

"Is Professor Vexen ever going to stop talking?"

The last line made the redhead chuckle. Cute _and_ a bit of attitude. He was really starting to like this kid. His reply was one word.

"No."

He sent the note on another trip and waited patiently for it to reach its destination. The blonde gave a barely audible groan when he read the reply. Immediately, the older teen's thoughts jumped to groans of a different kind, groans caused by something else.

Shaking his head, he tried to focus on Vexen. Now was not the time to be thinking of such things. He just…couldn't help it. The boy kept popping back into his thoughts every time he tried to focus. And all he did was sit there, back curved slightly, feet propped on the bars that connected the stool's legs, deep blue eyes gone dull with boredom.

It had to be his eyes, the senior decided. He'd never seen eyes quite like them, quite so, well, _blue._ The name had popped into his mind the moment the blonde's head had peered into the classroom: Baby Blues. He wondered if the blonde liked the name. He hoped so.

Finally, he managed to pay genuine attention to Vexen's lecture on classroom behavior, shoving his thoughts of Roxas to the back of his mind. He was only a boy, after all, and the senior considered himself above targeting kids who looked like they couldn't even drive a car, which Roxas didn't look old enough to do. So then why did his gaze keep sliding over to him every few minutes?

The senior sighed and put his hands in his pockets, waiting for the bell to ring. Vexen's voice droned on as the class almost dozed.

It was not a promising start to the new year at Kingdom High Boarding School.

"Roxas! Hey, Roxas!" a high, cheerful voice called. Roxas turned and saw a mass of spiky brown hair hurtling towards him down the hall, dodging students and bags.

Roxas tensed, bracing himself for impact; the body belonging to the hair slammed into him, making him stumble back a few feet.

"Sora," the blonde gasped, "I can't breathe!"

The other boy hugged him tighter for a moment before letting him go and slinging an arm around his shoulders. "Hey, bro," he greeted, and nuzzled Roxas' neck affectionately. "How's it with the seniors?"

Roxas smiled and wrapped his arm around the other boy's waist, glad just to be near him again. "Tall," he replied. "They're all very tall. I felt like a little kid, sitting in there. And Professor Vexen isn't what I would call the cheerful type." He decided not to tell Sora about the note, at least not yet.

"Great," the brunette groaned as they moved off down the hall. "I have him next."

"Calculus for me," Roxas sighed, not looking forward to it at all.

"You'll have Miss Larxene. I had her last hour in algebra II, and boy is she _mean._ She started yelling at this other kid cause he had his phone out." Sora shuddered at the memory. "It was terrible, Roxas. Her voice is all high-pitched and screechy; I thought my ears were gonna bleed."

Chuckling, Roxas patted his twin's head in a soothing way. "Professor Vexen talks a lot but he doesn't seem mean."

"Yeah, well, doesn't mean I'll like him," Sora grumbled, and they parted ways again with regretful good-byes.

Bored out of his mind, the red-haired teen sat in his usual place at the back of the room. He didn't like Miss Larxene, his teacher this hour, or the class or even school for that matter. School held no interest for him, no use. Not any more.

When Miss Larxene walked into the room, her blouse barely containing her chest and her skirt riding so high most of her thighs were visible, the redhead looked down at his desk, trying to avoid catching her attention.

"Axel," Larxene purred as she strode towards him and perched on the edge of his desk, her skirt hiked up so high he could practically see her panties. "I'm so glad you decided to take my class." The look she gave him made his skin crawl.

Axel chose not to reply, knowing that if he spoke he would then he would say something disrespectful and end up in detention. Which Miss Larxene would supervise, and Axel could think of nothing worse than that. He would rather have his nails ripped off with pliers then stick his hands in a bucket of salt. It took all he had to not move away when she began playing with one of his spikes.

"What's the matter, Axel? Don't you like me any more?" Larxene pouted, crossing her arms; her blouse looked ready to burst.

'No!' Axel wanted to yell, wanted to shove her away. 'I hate you, you slut! You whore!' but he sat, unmoving, silent. Larxene put one slim, feminine hand on his cheek and turned his face towards her and leaned in as if to kiss him. His emerald eyes burned with a poisonous anger as she got closer; he pressed his lips closed. Just before their lips met the bell rang, disappointing the teacher and sending a wave of relief through her student.

She moved away and went to her own desk as other students walked into the room, chatting amongst themselves as they took their seats. Axel sat slumped in his chair, looking anywhere but at Miss Larxene, who was smiling at him. He could still feel her touch on his cheek, and it made him want to tear the skin off.

He was staring moodily out the window when he saw a familiar-looking blonde out of the corner of his eye. Immediately, he whipped his head around to look, and there he was, taking an empty desk near the wall.

Roxas.

Without realizing it, Axel straightened in his seat, grinning slightly. He could put up with Larxene for the next forty-five minutes. Suddenly, math class didn't seem so bad.

At the front of the room, the teacher's eyes narrowed at her red-haired student. What was he looking at? She followed his gaze to land on a young blonde student who didn't look old enough to be in her calculus class. She knew it must be the kid who took the placement exams. Jealousy burned. What did that-that _boy_ have that she didn't? Why would Axel ignore her and instead smile at a _kid?_

She would not have it. Oh, no, that would not be tolerated. Axel thought it was his decision to end her fun? Well, she would see about that, and get rid of the kid, too.

"Class," she began once they were all seated; her tone was sugar-coated. "We have a new student with us this year." She gestured at the blonde boy to stand and smiled when he did. "Would you please introduce yourself to the class and tell a little bit about yourself?"

The boy blushed at the attention. "Um, I'm Roxas," he mumbled, "and, well, I'm a sophomore."

"Roxas took the placement exams," Larxene explained to the class, "so I want you all to make him feel welcome." Silence greeted her words; she nodded at Roxas to sit then turned to the chalkboard. "Now, open your books to chapter one." As she wrote out an equation on the board, Larxene's knuckles turned white from gripping the chalk so tightly. She had seen the way Axel looked at the blond boy and she didn't like it. Whether he knew it or not, Roxas-the-sophomore had gotten himself on her bad side.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter II

Finally, they had a class together. It may not have been their favorite subject, but Sora and Roxas couldn't have cared less. They found seats near the back and moved their desks together so that their elbows touched when they sat. Hardly a moment went by where they weren't touching in some way. They had missed each other during the first two class periods of the day and the idea of being apart when they didn't have to be was inconceivable.

The teacher strode into the room, his goateed face the picture of perfect boredom. He'd obviously been teaching the same classes for too long. For a few moments, he stood at the front of the room and waited as the students settled and then went to the board and picked up a piece of chalk.

"History," he began, speaking in an accent, "is written by those who win." He turned around after he finished writing the sentence out on the board. "In my classroom, I hold the power. I will always win and I write the history. There will be no back talk, no arguing, whining or other such behaviors." The teacher's tone brooked no nonsense, and the students made no reply. He smirked ever so slightly. "Good."

Roxas and Sora glanced at each other. This was going to be interesting.

Introducing himself as Professor Luxord, the teacher distributed heavy textbooks among the students and warned them at if a book was damaged or lost, then the student responsible would have to pay for a new book for the school. No one spoke except for Luxord.

"Read chapter one for tomorrow," he instructed, standing at the front of the room again. "We will discuss it in class. Test at the end of the week. You will be graded on participation." The teacher stayed where he was until the students had opened their book and began reading then sat at his desk.

Sora nudged Roxas and rolled his eyes at the blond boy. "Just like middle school," he mouthed, and his brother grinned back.

Neither brother considered for even a moment just how different their lives were going to be.

The lunchroom was already crowded when the two brothers arrived after their fourth hour classes. They were more or less silent as they went through the line, as their attention was focused on the growling in their stomachs. Not until they found an empty table and sat did Sora launch into his usual chatter.

"So my computers teacher, he's got this huge scar right here," the brunette described, showing Roxas by tracing a finger across his left cheek. "His right eye is gone, too; he has an eye patch! And he talks funny." He stopped to take a bite of his pizza, the melted cheese stretching from the food to his mouth.

Roxas laughed as his twin tried to break the strand and only succeeded in stretching it longer. The blond boy took a bite of his own pizza and chewed thoughtfully. He was thinking about a cute blond girl in his last class. She had been very nice, although quiet, and Roxas couldn't stop thinking about her.

"So, what's on your mind, brother of mine?" Sora asked, nudging the other boy and eyeing him curiously.

Roxas started, blushing slightly. "Nothing," he mumbled.

"You can't lie to me, Rox," Sora laughed. He rested his chin in his hand and took another bite of his pizza. "Now, let's see…it's only the first day and you're such a teacher's pet there's no way you can be in trouble yet." Roxas stuck his tongue out at him. Sora ignored his blond twin and sat pondering what Roxas could possibly be trying to hide from him.

"Ohhh, I see," he murmured to himself.

"See what?" Roxas asked, playing the innocent card.

Sora just grinned and continued with his lunch.

"Sora," Roxas whined, grabbing his brother's hand in both of his own and staring at him with pleading eyes.

Rolling his eyes, Sora gave the other boy a look that would have been stern if it weren't for the fact that he was smiling. "You met a girl," he said smugly, watching as Roxas' face turned bright red. "So what's her name? Is she cute?"

"She's-"

"Hi," a quiet, pleasant voice interrupted. Sora and Roxas turned together to look at the pretty girl standing before them.

"Namine!" Roxas greeted, smiling. Sora looked between the two and grinned.

"Hi, Namine. I'm Sora, Roxas' brother." The brunette boy offered his hand for her to shake.

"Um, can I sit with you?" she asked shyly.

"Of course!" Sora agreed enthusiastically—he winked at Roxas as he jumped to his feet and offered Namine his chair. She sat and he pushed it in for her then moved his tray over so that she sat between the twins. "So, how did you two meet?" he asked, resuming his own seat and picking up his pizza.

"We have Home Ec. Together," Roxas said before the white-blond girl could answer. "Namine and I are partnered together."

"Lucky for me," she interjected quietly, smiling at the blond boy and making him blush. "He's the only boy in the class," she said louder to Sora in explanation. "All the other girls wanted to be his partner."

"You lucky dog!" Sora teased his brother, whose blush darkened. "Maybe I should have taken Home Ec., too!"

Namine laughed. "They would have fought over you, too."

Sora gave a pleased blush and busied himself with his lunch to disguise it.

"Namine! There you are!" a voice called over the noise of the cafeteria. The three sophomores turned to see a girl with bright reddish pink hair walking towards them. She stood by Namine's chair with her hands on her hips. "I've been looking everywhere for you! Oh, who are your friends?"

"Sora, Roxas, this is my cousin, Kairi. She's a sophomore, too. Kairi, this is Sora and this is Roxas," the blond girl introduced them, gesturing at them in turn. "Roxas and I are in Home Ec. together."

Kairi smiled in a slightly flirtatious way. "Hi. So, are you done eating? I want you to meet a few people." She looked over at a table of some older teenagers and waved to show that she would be back in a moment. "I mean, you don't have to meet them right now if you're still eating or whatever, but they're really cool."

"Oh, well," Namine hesitated, glancing at Sora and Roxas. "I'm going to stay with these guys for now, Kai. But you go back and talk to your friends." She smiled.

"All right, see you later!" Kairi waved and made her way back to her own table. "Oh, it was nice meeting you!" she called back over her shoulder.

Sora picked up his pizza and took a bite then chewed thoughtfully. "She seemed nice," he said once he had swallowed. "And she makes friends fast."

"Yeah," Namine sighed, looking down at her tray. "Kairi's always been really popular. I'm too shy for that."

"Naw," Sora assured her. "Being popular is great and all,"

"But it's the seemingly quiet ones that are the most fun," Roxas finished his brother's sentence, grinning at Namine. She blushed prettily.

"Thanks."

At the end of the lunch period, Namine said good-bye and left for her art class, promising to see them later. Sora and Roxas walked to their English class together, hoping to get there early and get good seats.

Once again they sat near the back in order to remain unobtrusive and waited for the rest of the class to arrive. The bell rang and everyone took their seats as the teacher strode in. Roxas leaned back in his chair and glanced nervously at Sora, who also looked a bit taken aback. The man was much too intimidating to be a teacher. He was huge; easily over six and a half feet tall and extremely broad-shouldered. His jaw was square and set and his short brown hair was spiked slightly.

"He looks like a professional brawler," Sora whispered.

"Yeah," Roxas breathed back, "or like a super soldier or something."

"This guy teaches _English?__"_

The man cleared his throat and stared at them; Sora and Roxas sat up straight in their chairs and clamped their mouths shut. He turned and addressed the class.

"Welcome to English II. I am your teacher, Professor Lexeaus. Now, I trust that you all remember what you learned last year in middle school, however, school curriculum requirements say that I must first review this information before teaching you anything new. Therefore, today you will receive a study guide and a text book. The test is on Friday. We will review in class. Any questions?"

The room was silent.

"Good." He grinned and looked at a boy in the front row. "Please pass out the study guides." The boy jumped to obey, almost knocking his chair over. Lexeaus indicated the girl to the left of the now-empty desk. "The text books, please." Meek, she stood and did as he said. "Have these study guides filled out to the best of your ability by class time on Thursday. If you come across any problems, simply leave the question blank and bring it up for discussion during class. You may begin."

There was a flurry of movement as the students rushed to begin. Sora absently flipped through the pages of the book as Roxas began to fill out his study guide.

"Aren't you going to start?" he asked once he noticed that Sora hadn't written down a single thing.

"Naw." The brunette yawned and stretched in his chair. "English is easy. Besides, anything difficult will be discussed on Thursday in class."

Professor Lexeaus seemed to overhear him. "Study guides will be turned in for a grade, so make sure they are completed by the end of class on Thursday," he called.

Sora groaned and put his head down on his desk. "I _hate_ homework," he grumbled.

"Aw, come on, Sora," Roxas chided. "You know you'll copy most of my answers anyway. Besides, what's so bad about a silly study guide?"

For a moment he paused, thinking. "Good point. Well, better get started before he makes it due Wednesday." Still unhappy with his situation, Sora took a pencil from his bag and flipped his book to the beginning to search for the answer to the first question on the study guide.

Sitting at his desk, Professor Lexeaus glanced over the top of the book he was reading and smirked to himself. He loved creating a reputation for himself among the sophomores.

The cold snap of Larxene's heels echoed throughout the empty hallways. She walked as if she owned the place and everything, and every_one,_in it. It probably wasn't wise to leave her physics class unattended, but she doubted the little idiots would do anything. They weren't intelligent to cause any real trouble. Besides, she had something more important to attend to at the moment.

I'll get that little brat, she vowed silently as she walked, narrowing her eyes. She had hoped to have a reason to give him a detention, but the kid didn't do a thing wrong! He just sat there, silent as a mouse unless she called on him. His answers weren't always correct, but she couldn't give him a detention for being wrong. She would get him, though. He had to slip up at some point, and she refused to miss that chance.

Turning a corner, Miss Larxene gave a faint smile and a small nod to the man passing the other way.

"Miss Larxene," he greeted.

"Mister Marluxia," she replied then continued on her way down the hall. By the time she went around the next corner, she had forgotten about the other teacher. She was still focused on the blond freshman. What did Axel even see in him? She was a woman—beautiful and much more experienced in intimate matters than that _kid._ He probably still slept with a teddy bear! She had never known Axel liked boys. She was going to have to do a little digging.

Several turns and long halls and a few stair cases later, Larxene stood outside an unlabeled locked door. She knew the room beyond held the files on each and every student in the school. Everything she needed was in there. However, she did not have a key. Only Principal Xemnas and Vice-Principal Saix had keys for that door, but she already had a plan to get one. She just needed to find out where Saix spent his free time.

Mister Marluxia walked into the art room and surveyed his class hard at work. He had assigned a project in which each student was to display his or her talent with a medium of his or her own choice, and he was rather looking forward to seeing what was created.

As he settled in at his desk at the front of the room, he looked up in time to see a female student quickly look away. She was blushing behind her white-blond hair. Marluxia smirked to himself. The girl had chosen to work with charcoal and oil pastels, and so far seemed to be doing a fairly nice job. She was working diligently, in any case, and had color and grays smeared over her hands and forearms.

Curious, the teacher checked the roster and seating arrangement. The girl's name was Namine. He decided to keep an eye on her to see if she had promising talent. Glancing up at her, he caught her looking at him through her bangs before she went back to her project. Chuckling, he shook his head and pulled out his schedule so he could prepare for the next class.

"Sophomores," he said quietly to himself. "There always is one."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter III

Axel had never liked P.E. and had certainly never looked forward to the class. Not in elementary, middle, or the first three years of high school. He hated P.E. with a passion on the verge of religion. It wasn't that he wasn't athletic; he was, in fact, quite fit and more capable than many of his classmates. He simply considered the class to be a waste of time.

P.E. was, in Axel's opinion, supposed to be the time when he could pull jokes on his classmates and goof off, but Coach Xaldin never let him get away with anything. Even the simplest prank earned him an extra mile-long run on the track. But now, for the first time in twelve years of school, he was looking forward to P.E. Not even the thought of Coach Xaldin's angry shouting and glares put him off.

Tapping his pencil on his desk, the red-haired senior glanced at the clock again, his chin propped in his hand. The minutes couldn't go by fast enough and he was convinced that time had slowed down just to spite him. How could one class feel like it lasted a life time?

"You're never going to get your work done, staring off like that," a quiet voice stated from his left. Axel rolled his eyes.

"I'm already finished." The only sounds in the room were the ticking of the clock, the tapping of his pencil and the click-clacking of keyboards.

The boy next to him turned and stared at him, one of his eyes hidden under bluish silver bangs. "You are not. You didn't even start yet."

"I'm magic," was all Axel said in reply, his tone sprinkled with sarcasm.

Raising his visible eyebrow, the blue-haired student crossed his arms. "What's your problem?"

Axel sighed. "Nothing, Zexion. I'm fine."

The other boy shrugged. "Whatever." He turned back to his laptop and continued working on the assignment Professor Xigbar had assigned them for the next day. A quiet jingling was added to the montage of clicking noises as Axel twitched his foot under the table, the buckles on his boots clinging together. He willed the hands on the clock to move faster. Why the hell was this taking so long?

"Okay, so if f of x equals x to the eighth times the sin of five x, then x equals…x equals…ummmm…" Frustrated, Roxas chewed the end of his pencil. The problem stared at him from the book, daring him to try to find the derivative. For the past forty-seven minutes he had sat almost motionless in his desk, plowing his way through his calculus homework, and his pencil was chewed nearly to pieces. He was over half way done with the assignment, but that didn't help him with the current problem, and he only had thirteen minutes of study hall left.

In the desk to his right sat Sora, who was doodling rather than working on his homework. He sat leaned back in his chair, feet pushed out in front of his desk, pencil idly sketching on a random page in his notebook. It was a picture of Miss Larxene, although he had drawn her with sharp teeth, flaming eyes, claws, devil horns and a tail. She had left a lasting impression on him after Algebra II that morning, and he still couldn't quite believe the way she had flipped out on the kid with his cell phone out during class. He would ever admit it, but it had scared him half to death the way she had marched to the boy's desk and snatched the phone right out of his hand. He had actually been surprised that her fingernails hadn't gouged his arm in the process. The kid's eyes had been as big as saucers as Miss Larxene turned and went back to the front of the room, and the class had gone deadly silent. No one was going to dare getting on that woman's bad side ever again.

Sora shuddered to think what she would do to anyone who pissed her off badly enough.

Just as he was adding flames as a background to his drawing, the bell sounded to signal the end of the period. Gathering his bag and shoving his notebook inside, he waited patiently for Roxas to pack away his calculus homework before the two headed down the hall together.

"That assignment is going to take me forever," Roxas groaned as they made their way to the south end of the school. "It's way more difficult than what we did at our old school."

"It _is_ calculus, Rox. Did you expect it to be easy?"

"No, but if I can get into the class through placement exams then I should be able to pass it, too!" The blond boy sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Part of me wants to go ask Principal Xemnas if I can drop out of the upper classes and take the normal sophomore ones instead."

Feigning shock, Sora grabbed his twin's arm. "What? You, the over-achieving favorite son, want to drop out of your classes because they're too hard? What will Mom and Dad say? They'll be so disappointed!" His voice rose several octaves as he imitated their mother's tone. "What do you mean you dropped your courses? They can't be too hard for you, Roxy! I know you're a smart boy; you can do it!" Then he lowered it to attempt to imitate their father. "No son of mine is going to drop out just because the classes are a little harder than he thought they would be. You just don't want to put forth the effort to succeed, and you won't get A's with that sort of attitude, young man." Erupting into laughter, the brunette released Roxas' arm and refused to quiet down until they reached the boy's locker room, despite his twin's commands to shut up.

The P.E. instructor stood in the locker room, waiting for the students to file and find a place to stand or sit.

"My name is Coach Xaldin," he announced, his voice echoing slightly in the otherwise silent room. "I am in charge of the Physical Education and Health program here at Kingdom High Boarding School. You will address me as Coach, Coach Xaldin, or sir. Am I clear?"

There was a mumbled, "Yes, Coach Xaldin," before he went on.

"This P.E. class is required for sophomore and senior boys here at Kingdom High, and you will be sharing a locker room. No, there will not be any girls in this class." A collective groan of disappointment punctuated his statement, and he glared at the culprits until it was quiet again. "Although you all live here on the school grounds, school policy requires that you shower here after class, unless you have special permission to do otherwise."

Roxas muffled a groan so as not to receive a glare from Coach Xaldin. Showering in the locker room with the senior boys was the last thing he wanted to do.

"Now then, each of you pick out a locker, write its number and your name on this list, and then get changed. You should already have your uniforms, and if you don't, you lose today's participation points." He hung a clipboard with a sheet of paper and a pen on the wall. "You have five minutes." With that, he turned and left, and the room exploded with the voices of two-dozen adolescent males as they fought over the lockers and hurried to change.

In an attempt to avoid the commotion, Roxas and Sora chose two lockers in the far back corner away from where the other boys were and changed into their uniforms. They left their bags in their lockers, signed their names and numbers on the sheet and went out the same door that Coach Xaldin had used. They found themselves outside in a wide grassy area. Off to one side was a baseball diamond, a football field and track, along with a pole vault pit and sand pits.

Once the rest of the boys had changed and found their way outside, Coach Xaldin had them run three laps around the field as a warm-up then led them in stretches and agilities. He then announced that they were going to be playing soccer for the first two weeks of classes and that today they were going to learn how to kick and dribble the ball. Sora and Roxas glanced at each other uneasily; they had never played soccer before and knew they were most likely going to make fools of themselves.

"This is not gonna be pretty," Sora muttered, getting in line in front of Roxas to kick the ball. Sure enough, his kick sent the ball in completely the wrong direction and he cursed under his breath as he chased after it. Just as Roxas was stepping up for his turn, a voice sounded from right behind him, making him jump and whirl around.

"Mind if I cut in? I was late for class but I don't want Coach to notice and dock my points." It was one of the seniors, a tall boy with spiky red hair and green eyes. Unable to reply, Roxas only nodded and stepped out of the way so the other boy could go ahead of him. The senior winked. "Thanks." Then, in one fluid motion, he took a step back, stepped forward and kicked the ball, sending it straight to where Coach Xaldin was standing as their target. Roxas' jaw dropped as the red-haired senior ran after it, and he almost fell flat on his back when he tried to kick the next ball because he wasn't paying enough attention. His own kick was not nearly as impressive as the other boy's, and he scrambled after it, blushing in embarrassment.

Across the field, Axel stood watching him, smirking ever so slightly. The kid was clumsy, but he suspected that was mostly due to nerves. The first day was always the roughest, especially for new students. That being the case, he wondered if he should take it easy on him. He had been planning on approaching Roxas during class or in the locker room afterwards, but part of him wanted to play a little game first, and he certainly didn't want to scare the blond away, at least not yet.

"What are you staring at?" Zexion asked, walking up next to him, his soccer ball tucked under his arm. Following Axel's gaze, he spotted Roxas, who was attempting to dribble his own ball through some cones in a zigzag pattern while Sora shouted encouragement. "Axel," he sighed, exasperated, "not another one. I thought you said you were done with all this."

"I am," he replied absently, not taking his eyes off his target.

"Then why are you watching that kid like a cat watches a mouse?" the blue-haired senior asked impatiently. "Don't tell me you think he's cute."

"All right, I won't tell you."

Zexion put his hand over his eyes. "You really are a moron. You're going to get attached to a _sophomore? _He's _fifteen, _Axel. What exactly do you think you're going to do with him?"

"Whatever I want, Zexion," Axel snapped, finally looking at his friend. "I won't lie; the kid's cute, and you can't deny that he's smart, but I'm only in it for the fun of the chase. What would I want with a kid, really?" And with that he ran off towards the rest of the class and joined them in the cone-dribbling drill as Zexion looked on disapprovingly. He watched as his impulsive friend showed off for the blond boy, smiled and laughed and talked to him, showed him how to kick the ball and dribble. It wasn't long before the boy was laughing and having a good time as well.

Sighing, he shook his head and crossed his arms, letting his soccer ball fall to the grass. "He's going to put himself through hell all over again for you, kid." He sighed again. "I hope you're worth it, 'cause if you're not, I'll have no choice but to hate you."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter IV

Steam filled the locker room, coating everything with a thin layer of moisture and making it difficult to see more than a few feet. The only sounds were that of running water in the showers, the low murmur of voices and the occasional slam of a locker door. Timid, Sora and Roxas stood in the corner by their lockers and waited for their classmates to finish showering so as not to draw attention to themselves.

For Sora, the worst thing that could happen would be to have his towel stolen. He could stand being picked on or made fun of, but the idea having his towel stolen in front of two dozen other guys made him nervous. However, he did his best not to show it and put on a brave face. As for Roxas, well, he was convinced that if he so much as looked at someone the wrong way he was going to be bullied, have his clothes stolen or be made fun of. Therefore, his eyes were glued to the tiled floor beneath his sandal-clad feet as he clutched his towel to his chest and waited for his turn.

_Don't notice me. Please don't notice me. I'm not even here; pretend I'm not here,_ he thought desperately. Some small part of him urged him to be braver, like Sora always was, but he couldn't, at least not yet. Once he got more comfortable with the school he would be fine, but until then he was content to be the meeker twin and let Sora do the talking.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the other boys started to gather their things and leave, until only one or two were left aside from the quiet twins.

"Let's go," Sora muttered, nudging Roxas and walking towards the shower. Just as he was about to go down the stairs that separated the showers from the rest of the room, the brunette boy's foot landed in a puddle and he slipped, falling over backwards.

"Sora!" Roxas gasped, reaching out to catch him. Before he could, however, a different boy turned and, faster than either twin would have believed, caught one of Sora's wrists and wrapped an arm around his waist.

"Careful." The stranger set Sora on his feet and released him as the two freshmen stared at him, wide-eyed and open-mouthed. "The floors get pretty slippery."

Blinking rapidly, Sora swallowed. "Th-thanks…" He had yet to take his eyes off the strange boy's silver hair and green-blue eyes.

"Yeah, well, don't make a big deal out of it," the silver-haired boy snapped, suddenly annoyed, "'cause I'm not going to bother helping you next time." With that, he picked up his bag, slung it over his shoulder, and walked out.

Speechless, Sora watched him go then whirled around to look at his brother. "What was that all about? Who helps a guy out then turns around and snaps at him?" Huffing, he turned again and stalked off to an empty shower, closing the curtain behind himself a little more aggressively than was necessary. Still shocked, Roxas shook his head and, careful not to step in a puddle himself, made his way to an empty shower. The idea of having nothing but a flimsy curtain separating his naked self from the rest of the world wasn't altogether comfortable, but at least there were only a few other boys left.

Nonchalant, Axel sat on a bench against the wall by a row of lockers, waiting until there was no one left in the locker room except for him, Roxas and the other boy, Roxas' brother. Moving as silently as he could, he crossed the room and slipped a folded piece of paper into the blonde's bag before leaving, his school bag in hand. He didn't say a word as Zexion fell into step beside him and the pair walked down the hall.

"I still think this is a bad idea."

"I don't remember asking for your opinion."

Narrowing his visible eye, the shorter senior glared at his companion. "Has anyone ever told you that you're a real ass sometimes?"

Axel laughed. "Yes. You tell me every chance you get."

"Yet you never listen to me. I wonder, are you that stubborn or just that stupid?"

"Naw, I'm just smarter than you."

The sarcasm loaded in Zexion's tone could have knocked anyone else off their feet when he replied. "Right. You're the smartest person in the entire school and I'm the has-been playboy who fooled around with the math teacher. How could I have forgotten? Obviously your test scores are higher than mine and you pay so much more attention in class than I do."

The redheaded boy almost stopped walking. "I thought I told you never to mention that again, Zexion."

"Not talking about it isn't going to mean it never happened. You need to figure something out to get over it, Axel, or at least do something to get Miss Larxene to leave you alone."

"Don't you think I've tried?" he demanded, his temper flaring. "I've done everything I can think of! She just won't leave me the hell alone!" His pace quickened and Zexion had to hurry to keep up with him. "The first time I turned her down do you know what she did? She gave me a detention. An hour-long session with just her and me in her office and the whore didn't give me a choice…" He cleared his throat so his voice wouldn't crack. Even talking to Zexion, his closest friend, about what had happened was difficult. "I won't do it again, Zexion. I was young then I didn't know what to do and she just…" Shaking his head, he let the sentence trail away.

Zexion hesitated then put his hand on the taller boy's shoulder and made him stop walking. "Axel." Despite his previous comments and sarcasm, it was clear now in his face and tone that he truly cared for the other senior.

"What?"

Before he could object, Zexion turned him around and looked up into his eyes. "We've been friends for years—you can tell me. You know that."

Axel sighed and managed a small smile. "Yeah, I know. But trust me, Zex, you don't want to hear this, especially not about Miss Larxene."

At the thought, Zexion shuddered and grimaced. "Good point. So, what are we doing today?" he asked, choosing to change the subject. The pair started walking again, making their way out of the building and crossing the school's campus towards their dorm hall.

"Videogames; what else?"

"You mean other than the homework you have yet to start on?"

"Right…not looking forward to that." Axel made a face and the two seniors couldn't stop laughing until they reached their dorm.

"Hey, Roxas! Sora!" a familiar voice called, and the two fifteen-year-olds turned in unison to see Namine running after them, her cousin Kairi in tow. They were on the sidewalk out front of the school and had been on their way to their room when they heard her.

"Hi, Namine," Roxas greeted her shyly when the two girls reached them and stopped to catch their breath. "What's up?"

"Well I _was_ going to go hang out with Tifa and Yuffie in their room until _someone_ decided that I had other plans today," Kairi replied before Namine had the chance to speak, giving her cousin an irritated look.

Roxas grinned and shifted his bag strap more comfortably on his shoulder. "Well, Sora and I were heading to our room, if you want to come with us.

"Sure!" Namine agreed excitedly then blushed at her own enthusiasm as Kairi rolled her eyes.

"Great. We aren't fully moved in yet but that's okay." Still smiling, Roxas turned and led the way to the dormitory he and Sora were living in.

"You guys are in the _freshmen_ hall?" Kairi asked, raising an eyebrow in a criticizing way when she realized what building they were walking towards.

A slight blush colored Roxas' cheeks and he opened his mouth to answer but Sora cut in before he had the chance to say anything.

"Only for the first semester." The brunette's reply was short and monotonous, completely opposite of how he normally was. Roxas quietly followed him up the stairs towards their room; he could feel the tension coming off of his twin in waves but wasn't entirely sure what was wrong. Not until the four students were settled into the dorm did he decide to draw him out of his funk.

"So, Kairi and Namine, since Sora and I are new here, do you have any advice for us?"

Thoughtful, they were quiet for a few minutes as they contemplated his question.

"All of the teachers are pretty strict," Kairi commented, tapping her chin. "Mister Marluxia is usually pretty patient but once he loses his temper he's pretty scary."

"Whatever you do, don't get sent to see Principal Xemnas," her blond cousin warned them in a dark tone. "The kids who are sent to his office never tell what happened but you can tell just by looking at them that it isn't good."

The look on Roxas' face was horrified. "What does he do to them?"

"No one knows," the redheaded girl replied ominously. "They refuse to talk about it but everyone has their own ideas about what happens. No one is brave enough to get sent to see him on purpose just to find out, though."

Swallowing hard, the blond boy loosened his tie. "Remind me to never get in trouble. What about students? Are there any we should avoid?"

"Well, there is Seifer," Namine said quietly, glancing at Kairi, "and his group of friends. They like to bully other students but they're a lot of talk, mostly." Roxas nodded and smiled, leaning back in his chair more comfortably.

"Thanks."

"No problem." Pleased, Namine blushed prettily and looked down at her feet.

Stretched out on his bunk, Sora scowled at the bottom of Roxas' bunk with his hands tucked under his head. "So what's that silver-haired guy's problem?" he asked, obviously still upset with his early encounter with the strange boy.

"Riku?" Kairi asked, tilting her head. "Silver hair and teal eyes? Tall?"

"Yeah," Roxas answered, nodding. "That's him. He's in our P.E. class."

"He's a jerk," Sora interrupted, his scowl fading into a slight pout.

"What did he do?" the redheaded sophomore questioned, shifting forward onto the edge of her seat.

"Sora slipped in the locker room and almost fell. Riku caught him then suddenly seemed really mad at us for no reason," the blond twin replied, his puzzlement at what had occurred showing in his expression.

"Oh." Waving her hand, Kairi stretched a little. "That's Riku. He's really athletic but his social skills could use some work. Don't worry, though; he's like that with everyone, not just you guys."

Still annoyed, Sora turned onto his side so that the three other students could only see his back. "Yeah, well, he's still a jerk."

"That's not nice, Sora," Namine admonished him. "You don't even know Riku. I bet he's really nice once you get to know him." The brown-haired boy chose not to answer.

Roxas sighed. "Just leave him alone. He'll be back to his old self when he's ready." The two girls didn't look convinced, but decided to drop the issue in order to avoid upsetting Sora any further. Instead, they helped Roxas finish unpacking his things, laughing and joking the whole time.

"Vice Principal Saix?" a voice purred from the doorway. The scarred man looked up from the papers he had spread over his desk.

"Yes? What is it?"

Slowly, Miss Larxene approached him and sat on the edge of his desk, crossing one slim leg over the other so that he had a clear view. "I was just wondering if I could, by any chance, borrow the key to the records closet." Her finger traced the X-shaped scar that stretched across his forehead and cheeks.

"What for?" he asked, unaffected by her advances.

"Oh, I just wanted to look at Roxas Strife's records from his previous school; I don't want to move too fast for him or assume that he knows something he doesn't," she lied smoothly, running her fingers through the vice principal's blue hair.

"Very well." Sighing, he took a ring of keys from his desk drawer, selected one, and handed it to her. "Just be sure to give it back when you're done, Miss Larxene." He looked back down at the papers, clearly dismissing her.

Smiling, she stood. "Thank you ever so much, Vice Principal." And, swaying her hips, she strode out of the room, the key held tight in her hand and a triumphant smirk curving her red lips.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter V

The filing cabinets in the records room were organized by grade level and then in alphabetical order according to students' last names. Larxene stood in front of the cabinet that held the S names of the sophomore class, her slim, manicured fingers rifling through the drawers as she searched for Roxas' file. When she found it, she noticed Sora's just behind it and decided, after a moment of thought, to take his as well. It couldn't hurt to know about the blond brat's stupid brother, too. Closing the drawer, she moved to the senior cabinet and fished Axel's file from its place, tucking it under her arm along with the Strife twins'.

It had taken a matter of minutes for her to get in, get what she came for and get out, locking the door behind her and strutting back to her classroom, a look of smug accomplishment on her face. Her heels clicked against the tiled floor, echoing her satisfaction back to her.

Once she was safely back in her classroom and seated at her desk, the blond teacher opened two of the three files she had stolen and looked through them for any tidbit of information she might be able to make use of. She found it interesting that while the blond kid had done well on his placement exams, his brother had scored significantly lower, following the trend of their grade patterns throughout their academic careers. It seemed Axel's new fixation was much more intelligent than his twin.

Besides his grades, she also looked over the notes and comments written by Roxas' previous teachers. They all seemed to say the same thing; he was quiet and shy but determined, a hard worker, he took his schoolwork seriously and rarely misbehaved, although his athletic accomplishments were few. His twin, Sora, on the other hand, was a completely different story. He had a track record of detentions, low grades and late assignments and his teachers appeared to see him as a slacker, although his previous coach had wonderful things to say about him.

It made Larxene wonder. Could Sora be just as intelligent as Roxas, but, because of the competition it might cause, he simply refused to put forth effort and let Roxas be the better student? Sora seemed to excel in sports more than academics whereas it was the other way around with Roxas…if there was hidden tension between the twins, she might be able to use that to her advantage. Trouble with his brother would keep Roxas away from Axel indefinitely, especially if she continued to fuel the fire.

Smiling cruelly, she tucked the files away in her desk where they wouldn't be found by mistake. She didn't bother looking through Axel's file—she already knew all there was to know about him, and now she had what she needed to ensure that Roxas kept his distance. Satisfied that she was in full control of the situation and well on her way to making sure that stupid blond kid kept his grimy paws off her Axel, she packed her things away into her briefcase and left the school to return to her quarters in the staff residence hall for an evening of relaxation and private gloating.

"Come on, Sora, we have to do our homework," Roxas chided his brother from his place at his desk. "Just get it done now so it's out of the way."

With a groan, the brunette boy forced himself to pause his game and set down the controller, stretching. Kairi and Namine had left over an hour ago and he hadn't moved from his spot in front of the TV since, so his legs were stiff and protested as he stood. Reluctantly he went and sat at his own desk, dragging his school bag across the floor and reaching in for his books. They thumped loudly when he dropped them on his desk and he spent several minutes staring at the pile, willing his homework to take care of itself so that he could go back to his game. When that didn't work, he sighed heavily and took the top book from the stack and resigned himself to giving the next few hours of his life over to his schoolwork.

Roxas was glad that he had used his study hall to get started on his calculus so that he didn't have the entire assignment to worry about. It wasn't going to be easy, but at least he only had twelve problems left. After calculus, the rest of his homework was going to be a walk in the park. Reaching into his bag for his notebook, Roxas felt a loose bit of paper move under his fingers and picked it out, curious. It was a folded piece of notebook paper and it definitely wasn't his. He unfolded it and instantly knew where it had come from.

"Hello again, Baby Blues. Who would have thought we'd have so many classes together? Chemistry, calculus and P.E., too. I'm starting to think you're following me, not that I mind. Classes are over by now so I doubt I'll see you again today, but there's always tomorrow. Tell your brother I said hi and that he did a nice job with soccer today—wish I could say the same for you, but I'm sure with a little practice you'll do fine. Besides, a kid as cute as you doesn't have to be good at soccer for people to like him, so I wouldn't worry about it. But if it means that much to you, I'd be happy to help with a little one-on-one practice. Make sure you get a good night's sleep; you're going to need it."

It wasn't signed, but it was obviously from the same person that had passed him the note in chemistry that morning. Now, though, he knew it wasn't a girl because girls and boys had separate P.E. classes. Still, he couldn't quite believe that some guy thought he was cute. He was curious about whom this mysterious student was but at the same time wished he hadn't drawn attention to himself, though for the life of him he didn't know what he had done in the first place.

But he had more important things to focus on than notes from a secret admirer, like his homework. So, refolding the note, he slipped it into his desk drawer and began to work on his calculus. It took him nearly half an hour to complete the twelve problems, although it might have gone faster had he been able to focus rather than think about the boy who was sending him these notes without dropping any hints as to his identity. Although, it had to be a senior if he was in chemistry and calculus and P.E. with him, since there were no juniors or freshmen in his P.E. class.

The thought brought him up short. A _senior_ was sending him notes and calling him a silly name like Baby Blues? A _senior_ thought he was cute and had taken an interest in him? He felt a blush heat his cheeks—he must look like a baby to whomever was sending these notes!

"What the heck?" he muttered, looking the note over once again. "Who is this guy?"

"Hm?" Turning in his chair, Sora looked over at his twin. "Did you say something?"

"No." Quickly, he folded the note and shoved it under his textbook so that the other boy wouldn't see. "Just talking to myself."

"Going insane already?" Sora teased, grinning. "Is the homework too much for you?"

Blushing, Roxas glared. "No!" He grabbed a pillow from his bunk and threw it at Sora as he laughed. "Shut up!"

Still laughing, Sora decided that he had worked long enough for now and snatched up the pillow that had just hit him square in the face. He chucked it back at his brother before grabbing his own pillow and engaging the blond boy in a pillow fight to the death. Not to be beaten without a fight, Roxas retaliated with gusto, leaping out of his chair and whacking Sora over the head with his pillow.

"Ow!"

"Not the face!"

"Oof! I'll get you for that one!"

"You'll never take me alive!"

The war raged on, their wild blows knocking books and knickknacks off their desks and dressers, scattering papers over the floor. Battle cries and declarations of revenge were shouted back and forth amid exclamations of pain and the thump of pillows coming into contact with bodies and other objects. It was not until one of their neighbors pounded on the wall and shouted through for them to keep it down that they took a moment to catch their breath and survey what used to be their dorm.

"I think we got a little carried away, bro," Sora commented, panting lightly as he noticed the mess they had made. Both chairs were knocked over and the floor was strewn with their belongings, not all of which were unbroken.

Roxas groaned and covered his eyes with a hand. "No kidding…this is going to take forever to clean up."

Heaving a sigh, the brunette tossed his pillow on his bed and began to pick up the papers, sorting through and separating his own from the other boy's and putting them in neat piles. "Well don't just stand there, Rox. Give me a hand with this." He continued to sort the papers as his brother set the chairs upright and gathered their assorted belongings along with the pieces of those that had been broken during their fight. Luckily, nothing of sentimental value or anything that would be overly difficult to fix had been damaged.

"Nothing a little glue can't take care of." Gently, he set their things back in their proper places before helping Sora to pick up the papers.

Several minutes of silence went by as they worked, and then Sora noticed a folded bit of paper. Not thinking anything of it, he picked it up and opened it to see if it was Roxas' or his, and couldn't help the grin that spread over his face as he read. Nonchalant, he refolded it and put it on his brother's pile then went back to work without saying anything. No doubt it wasn't something he was meant to see, so he decided to wait for the opportune moment to let his brother know that he had found the note. Although, it was very tempting to tease his twin about it mercilessly and hold it over his head indefinitely. But he resisted and kept quiet.

When at last the two boys finished cleaning up the mess, they went back to their desks to finish their homework in silence. Sora would have preferred to listen to music and so found himself tapping out rhythms with his pencil and fingers, but Roxas found music to be distracting so the brunette contented himself to go without. What he needed, he decided, was to get an Ipod so that they could both have what they wanted, but he couldn't afford one. Which meant he was either going to have to save up his allowance for the next few months or get a job, neither of which was something he was at all eager to do. But for an Ipod, he was willing to sacrifice some of his spare time, at least for a little while. After all, no one said he had to keep the job any longer than was absolutely necessary.

Roxas breezed through the homework he had left and packed his books away for tomorrow's classes before lounging on his bed. The sunset was visible through the window, turning the dorm room a mixture of reds, oranges and yellows. It was beautiful, to be honest, but again he found himself wondering about the note. Who was it from and why did he choose Roxas to, what was the word, contact? ] He didn't know what to call it, but regardless, he was sure he wasn't going to like it, whatever it was. It was likely one big joke, so there was little he could do except play it cool and pretend like he didn't care either way.

So, with a sigh, he turned onto his side and decided to do just that, promising himself that no matter what happened, he wouldn't to let some senior toy with him and give him the satisfaction of caring.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter VI

"Come _on."_

"We're going to get in trouble…"

"Will you shut up?"

Small circles of light bounced along the ground ahead of a group of students as they made their way across the school grounds. The moon and the stars were the only other source of light, as students were not supposed to be outside their dorm halls so late.

"Guys, let's go back, please?" a quiet voice from the back of the group pleaded. "We're going to get caught."

"If you don't shut up we will!" a different voice hissed, silencing the first. "The activities hall is just ahead."

Running as quietly as they could, the group of students crossed the main courtyard and reached the side door to the activities hall.

"Did you get the key?"

"Of course I got the key!" A quiet jingling was the only sound, then a barely-audible _click _as the lock gave way and the door swung open. Their shoes made hardly any noise on the carpet as they ran down the hall towards the pool room. Without a word, bags were dropped to the tiled floor as the intruders got to work. Just as the first packets of Kool-aid were dumped into the water, the lights came on and the students froze.

"Well well, what do we have here? Students out of bed, it seems." The voice echoed around the room.

"Run!" one of the students shouted, and, grabbing their bags, they bolted for the door. They raced down the hall, burst through the door and scattered across the grounds, splitting up to avoid being caught together. Two of the students ran in the direction of the obstacle course in the hopes of losing any pursuers among the shadows.

"Kairi, wait up!"

"Come on, Namine!"

The blond girl stumbled to a halt, her sides heaving with every breath she took. "I can't…I can't…" She was completely winded and couldn't have taken another step even if she wanted to.

Doubling back, Kairi grabbed her cousin's hand and dragged her forward. "Hide in the bushes," she whispered, and pushed the other girl to the ground, "I'll lead them away, then you get back to the room." With a wink, she ran, half crouching, to the edge of the obstacle course then took off at a dead sprint towards the senior dorm hall.

Still out of breath, Namine watched from her hiding place as two of the night guards chased after her cousin. She waited until the shouting stopped and there was no one left outside before cautiously edging her way along the edge of campus until she reached her own dorm hall. Once there, she slipped inside and let out a sigh of relief as she began to climb the stairs to the room she shared with Kairi. With any luck, Kairi would already be there, waiting and gleeful in her triumph.

Her chin lifted defiantly, Kairi stood before her capturer's desk and waited for her punishment to be announced. She had been passing the junior dorm hall when a night guard caught her, and though she'd struggled she hadn't been able to break free and escape. Now she was forced to wait for the goateed professor to decide what her punishment was to be.

Peering at her, the teacher seemed to size her up before leaning back in his chair and stretching. "You troublemakers never can resist the temptation, can you."

She didn't answer.

"Who else was at the pool tonight?"

No answer.

"Ah, protecting your little friends, are we? Trying to play the hero? Do you really think they would do the same for you?"

Narrowing her blue eyes, Kairi glared at the teacher. If he was trying to goad her into reacting, he was wasting his time. She wasn't about to betray her friends and she knew any others who had been caught would also keep quiet.

With a sigh, the man stood and walked around his desk to stand in front of her, looking down at her disdainfully. Stubbornly she met his gaze, although his piercing blue eyes seemed to look straight through her. They were nothing like her own—not soft or friendly, but cold and uncaring. Yet she refused to look away when most other students would.

"You're wasting my time, Kairi." He glared. "If you refuse to speak then I may as well decide on your punishment. Detention with me every day after classes for a month. Skipping a detention will result in a make up to take place after the original end date. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Now get out."

Turning on her toe, Kairi walked with a stiffened spine all the way from Professor Luxord's office back to her own dorm hall and up to her room. Namine was waiting up for her.

"Oh, my gosh, are you all right? How much trouble are you in? Did they get anyone else, Oh, I knew it was a bad idea!" she fussed, rushing over to her cousin. "Your cheek is bruised—did one of them hit you?" The thought made genuine anger rise up in her.

"I'm all right, Mi-Mi," the pinkish-haired girl assured her, touching her sore cheek gently. "I fell when the guard grabbed me and didn't have time to catch myself."

"Oh." Relief was clear in her tone. "How much trouble are you in?"

"Detentions." Kairi made a face. "Every day with Luxord for a month."

"Oh…did they catch anyone else?"

"No, I don't think so. At least, he didn't tell me they did. But he tried to make me tell him who else was involved. Don't worry, I didn't," she added quickly, seeing the horrified look on her cousin's face. Kairi didn't care about something like this on her record, but she knew a clean slate meant the world to Namine.

Sighing, the blond girl collapsed onto her bed. "Well, it could have been worse."

Kairi didn't reply as she changed from her black clothing into her nightgown and got into bed.

"Hey, Kairi?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

The light clicked off and the two girls settled onto their mattress, ready for a few hour's worth of sleep after their midnight adventure.

Fog drifted over the campus, muting the sound of Sora's footsteps. The sun was barely up and it was too early for classes to start, not that he would ever have gotten up at dawn for the sake of class. No, this was a morning ritual he refused to violate with schoolwork. He wanted to see the field covered in dew and fog in the weak morning light.

Cresting the hill, he looked down into the small, bowl-like valley that sheltered the school's sports field and took a deep breath. It was beautiful, full to the brim with opportunities to make a name for himself, to show his skill. Roxas could have the classroom glory. Sora would take the field any day.

As he stood drinking in the view, movement on the track caught his eye, a flash of silver and green in the fog. Someone was out for an early morning run. Intrigued, the brown-haired boy began the descent into the valley, disappearing into the fog. Who else had bothered to wake so early?

He could hear the runner's footsteps approaching as he stopped at the edge of the track, and looked to his right expectantly. Any moment now the figure would appear out of the fog and fly past him. The first thing to become visible was the green of the runner's uniform moments before the rest of him appeared. Sora barely had time to react before the other boy passed him and vanished back into the fog. It took less than three seconds, yet the uniformed boy had turned his head and looked Sora full in the eye as he passed.

Sora could feel the heat in his cheeks as his face reddened. He knew he had looked like an idiot, standing there with his mouth hanging open, and by the look on the runner's face, he thought it, too. Even worse was _who_ the runner had turned out to be. Not wanting to embarrass himself further, he turned and walked back up the hill. At the top, he took one last look at the field then turned to go back to his dorm and sleep until classes started.

"You aren't supposed to be out here."

Startled, Sora jumped then whirled around. "What?'

With his jacket hung lazily over his shoulders, the runner stood just behind him, looking down at the brunette boy with no discernable expression. He had caught up with Sora a little less than halfway across the courtyard, and the brunette teen hadn't even heard him coming.

"Students aren't allowed out of the dorm halls this early unless they have special permission." Now Sora noticed the lanyard and I.D. that hung around the taller boy's neck, along with a card stating that Coach Xaldin had given him twenty-four-hour access to the field, gym, and equipment. Sora thought he might turn green with jealousy.

"How can I get one of those?" he asked, pointing at the card.

The other boy smirked. "Well, for me, all I have to do is ask. _You_ couldn't get one even if you paid."

Anger flared. "And why not?" Sora demanded, glaring. "What makes you so special?"

Still with his smirk in place, he walked past the younger boy towards his dorm. "Special? No…I'm just better than you, over all."

Spinning on his heel, Sora shouted at the other boy's receding back. "Whatever, you jerk! We'll see who's better! Just you wait, I'll show you!" And, fuming, he stomped off back to the freshmen dorm hall.

The slam of the door jerked Roxas out of his dream.

"Wha's going on?" he mumbled sleepily, sitting up half way and staring at his twin through unfocused eyes. "Sora?"

The brunette didn't appear to notice his brother. He moved around their room, muttering to himself, opening and closing drawers as he dressed in his uniform and packed his bag. How dare that jerk say he was better? He didn't even know Sora—who was he to judge? The other boy's dismissal ate at him like acid, burning into his brain and infuriating him.

"Stupid jerk…who does he think he is?..._not_ better than me…I'll show him…"

Utterly confused, Roxas watched his agitated brother. What the heck was going on? It wasn't even six in the morning yet! Normally, Sora slept until 7:30 then got up for classes at eight, and only after Roxas pestered him non-stop. So what was the brown-haired boy doing up so early?

"Sora, what's going on?" the blond boy asked, yawning and stretching. "Why are you awake?"

"That jerk," Sora growled, glaring out the window. "That jerk from the locker room."

"Riku?" Roxas frowned. "What about him?"

"I saw him this morning and the guy had the nerve to say he's better than me!"

"Better than you at what?"

"Everything! 'Better than me, over all!'"

From his tone and posture, Roxas could tell that his twin's pride was hurting from the insult. Sora was far from conceited, but that didn't mean he wasn't proud of his abilities as an athlete. Abilities that had just been insulted.

"Sora," Roxas began gently as he climbed down from his bunk and approached the fuming boy, "don't listen to a thing Riku says. You're a great athlete and friend—he was just trying to get a rise out of you." Cautious of his twin's anger, he slipped his hand into Sora's and squeezed a little. After a moment of internal battle, the brunette boy sighed and squeezed his hand back. All the anger left him; only the sting of Riku's words remained.

It wouldn't have bothered him so much if he hadn't seen the older boy running. His form was smooth, flawless, more practiced than Sora's had ever been. And he was fast—Sora wasn't sure who would win in a race. It made him doubt himself. What if Riku really was better than him? If Sora didn't have the field, he didn't have anything. What would he do if he lost it?

Smiling and oblivious to his brother's worries, Roxas let go of his hand and got back into bed. He had an hour more to sleep and wanted to get back to his dream. Namine was in it, along with a shadowy figure that was supposed to be whoever was sending him the notes. He wanted to see how it was going to end.

Sora stayed where he was, looking out the window without really seeing. He could only picture the way Riku had looked in that moment when their eyes met on the track. His silver hair was pulled back and he wore a sweatband. The shirt of his track uniform stuck to him, damp with fog and sweat, revealing how fit he was. His face was smooth and relaxed, although the corners of his mouth had been lifted in a slight smile and his eyes shown with determination to improve and the joy of running, the pure exhilaration of it. Sora knew the feeling. It was why he had gotten into sports in the first place and something Roxas had never really understood, much the way Sora never understood the pride his twin felt in his grades. Grades were just a letter or a number on a piece of paper. But doing well in a race or game was more than that.

Riku knew it as well as he did, and part of him wanted to share that experience with the older student. He got the feeling, however, that the silver-haired teen wasn't interested in making friends. He hadn't exactly been friendly so far, but that didn't mean Sora couldn't be. And, he decided, he wasn't going to let Riku get to him. But he wasn't going to let him win, either. The silver-haired teen had just become part of a competition to be the school's star athlete, regardless of if he wanted to be.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter VII

Class had barely begun when the note appeared on his desk. He wasn't surprised, although he was beginning to wonder if he was ever going to get caught. He certainly hoped he wouldn't, although he knew it was bound to happen sooner or later. Still, he couldn't resist the temptation to read it now rather than put it in his bag for later, and so he picked it up and began to unfold it.

"Would you care to tell the class what's so interesting that you can't pay attention, Roxas?"

Apparently the day he would be caught was today.

His face flaming with embarrassment, Roxas looked up to see every pair of eyes in the room staring at him. With her hands on her hips, Miss Larxene stood before his desk, glaring at him.

"Stand up."

His chair scraped against the floor as he slowly stood, his eyes glued to his desk and the note still clutched in his hands. He hadn't even read it yet.

"Come." Twitching her finger, Miss Larxene led him to the front of the room and had him face the class. "Read it. Out loud."

Roxas' hands were shaking as he unfolded the note and gulped. His face couldn't have been redder. How could he have been so stupid as to allow this to happen!

"Baby Blues," he began, his voice quiet and unsteady. It was the only sound in the room. "I know by now you must be dying to know who I am, but I'm afraid you'll have to wait a little while to find out. Don't worry—it won't be long now. Homecoming is in three weeks after all, and I was rather hopping you would agree to accompany me. I suppose you'll think I'm strange for it but I find myself oddly interested in you. I'll see you in P.E., even if you don't realize who I am."

It was so quiet that Roxas could have heard a pin drop in the back of the room. He knew his face was red and growing redder by the second, and at that moment he hated himself and whoever had sent the note. It didn't matter who it was any more—he wanted nothing to do with him, whoever he happened to be.

"That's a detention, mister Strife," Miss Larxene stated calmly, "in my office immediately after classes today. Return to your seat."

Crumpling the note into a ball, Roxas made his way back to his desk with very deliberate steps. He wasn't so embarrassed about being called to the front of the room as he was angry at the note's sender. How could that idiot have thought even for a moment that passing notes in Larxene's calculus class was a good idea? Roxas hadn't even opened the damn thing yet—it wasn't his fault, yet he was the one to be punished. It just wasn't fair.

For the rest of the class period he sat slumped in his desk, moody and brooding. He was too upset to take notes on the remainder of the lesson, which he knew was going to be a problem when he tried to do the homework later, but at the moment he really didn't care. All he could think was that he was certainly not going to the Homecoming dance with the jerk who got him in trouble. However, he still wanted to know who it was just so he could give the guy a piece of his mind. He didn't care that it was a senior who could probably beat him up—_no one_ got Roxas in trouble and dared to do it again.

The guilt was killing him. What had he been thinking? He should have known better than to pass notes in the whore's class, and now because of him she had the excuse to get Roxas on his own to do who knew what to him. She had sounded so calm while giving the blond boy the detention, but he knew better. He could see the vicious victory behind her cold, cruel eyes.

Axel could imagine what Miss Larxene might come up with as punishment for the sophomore, though he didn't much want to. He already knew what she was capable of and could only hope that she wouldn't do to Roxas what she had done to him. Not to his Roxas.

From his desk, he could see how angry the blond boy was, and how embarrassed. His face was as red as his hair! Why had she forced him to read it out loud? It could have been something extremely private and personal! He already knew Miss Larxene was a heartless, cold-blooded bitch, but he had never expected her to humiliate the boy like that. He had a sinking suspicion about why she had done what she did, and he really hoped he was wrong. It would only make matters worse for the red-haired senior if Larxene had targeted Roxas specifically because Axel liked him. He wouldn't put it past the bitch. He just hoped he was wrong.

Either way, Larxene had seriously disrupted the senior's plans. He wanted to ask Roxas to Homecoming but he doubted the blond freshman would ever agree to go with him. Not after today. And he certainly didn't plan on sending any more of his little notes, except to write an apology and then leave it where Roxas would find it. Perhaps in his school bag after P.E. although he wasn't entirely sure if the younger boy would read it. He was hopeful, nonetheless.

There was only one thing he could think to do that might encourage the younger boy to forgive him, and he went about it with a great deal of determination and enthusiasm. It was obvious that Roxas wasn't taking any notes on the day's lesson, and Axel knew he was going to need them for the homework, so he carefully copied down every example from the board, wrote down every word of the lecture in his best handwriting and wrote out definitions and rules from the text book. He hadn't worked so hard in Miss Larxene's class in a very long time, and the whole while he had a smile on his face. She might have thought she could interfere with his little game, but he had other ways of getting close to the blond, like giving him a copy of his almost-perfect notes from the day. He wouldn't give them to him directly, but stick them in his bag after P.E. class, along with the apology note. It wasn't much, but it was the least he could do after getting the blond in trouble.

Even when the bell rang and his fellow students rushed for the door, Axel took his time finishing the last of the notes, ignoring the sultry looks Miss Larxene was giving him, and then packed his notebook carefully away in his bag. There was no way he was going to risk damaging his notes, not when he needed them for something so much more important than a stupid math class. He was still smiling as he walked down the hall to his next class.

For the first time in his life, Sora didn't have the courage to ask his brother what was wrong. All through history class, lunch, English and even study hall his blond twin had been moody and introverted. He hadn't said more than a few words all day, not even when Sora asked how Home Ec. had gone with Namine. Usually his comments made the blond boy blush but all he had gotten today was a glare such as he had never seen on his brother's face before. It had been enough to silence him for the rest of the day. That is, until he got to P.E. class and remembered that he had something more important to focus on.

He had the next forty-five minutes to continue to prove himself and everyone else that he wasn't just some sophomore to be looked down upon.

"Three laps for warm up! Go!" Coach Xaldin barked, and it was like a starting gun being fired. Sora took off around the field, arms and legs pumping as he easily overtook his classmates and left them behind. All save for one.

Riku was neck-and-neck with him, matching him stride for stride and not giving him an inch. They raced, the two of them, neither willing to allow the other to win without a fight.

"I'll beat you," Sora panted, grinning at the other boy as they ran. "One of these days, I'll beat you."

"Not a chance," Riku replied without so much as turning to look at him. These past two weeks had seen a change in the pace of the sophomore-senior P.E. class, at least for Riku. It had been a long time since anyone had presented him with a challenge and he was rather enjoying it. Even if he refused to let the kid running beside him know it. Ever since their early morning encounter in the courtyard, the younger student had taken every one of Riku's accomplishments and records personally and was putting everything he had into beating them. Riku was almost flattered, in a way, but that didn't mean he was going to go easy on the kid.

They were halfway through the third lap before the silver-haired boy began to pull ahead. It was slow, and he was only about two feet ahead of Sora when they reached where Coach Xaldin stood waiting for them.

"Darn," Sora panted, resisting the urge to bend over with his hands on his knees. Instead, he laced his fingers behind his head and focused on slowing his breathing. Riku was doing the same thing, a small, slightly smug smirk on his face.

"I almost had you," the brunette said, grinning. "I'm getting closer."

"Keep dreaming." The silver-haired teen didn't even bother looking at him.

Coach Xaldin observed the exchange in silence as the rest of the class slowly finished the three laps and gathered around him.

"All right, ladies! These next three days will be scrimmages—how well you play determines what grade you will receive for this section of the class! Think about it like a chapter test, if that makes more sense to you bookworms. I will be the referee. Keep it clean and play by the rules or I'll lower your grades. Who wants to be a team captain?"

Sora's hand shot up less than a millisecond after Riku's did and he grinned at the other boy. Two other boys, John Smith and John Ralf, both seniors, raised their hands as well, so the four of them were given the honor of being team captains. Riku chose first.

"Axel."

Grinning, the redhead went to stand by his captain. Then it was Sora's turn. He wanted to pick Roxas, but he wasn't sure if the other students would see it as favoritism or not. Then again, he knew what he and his twin were capable of when they worked together and besides, Roxas' anger usually improved his athletic abilities.

"Roxas," he said with a smile, and his twin joined him. Then John Smith chose, followed by John Ralf, and the pattern began again.

"Erick." A black-haired sophomore.

"Shang." A dark haired, dark eyed senior with an intimidating stare.

"Zexion." A slim, blue-haired senior who didn't look at all happy to be there.

"Phillip." Brunette senior with a permanent grin.

"Jim." Moody brunette sophomore.

And it went on, until the class was split evenly into four teams, dubbed Team _Hisshou_ for Riku's team and Team_ Ketsudan_ for Sora's team, who certainly felt like underdogs. Sora thought that he had chosen his team name perfectly; he was more determined to defeat Riku's team than he had ever been about anything before. He also thought it was rather conceited of Riku to choose his team name as "certain victory." Regardless, Sora looked forward to playing against him. Soccer was one of his favorite sports.

The four teams took their places on the fields while Coach Xaldin supervised, his violet eyes intent upon the movements of his students. "On my whistle!" he called, then took a deep breath and blasted one long, shrill note. At the sound, the ball dropped to the earth and Sora lunged for it, battle with Riku for control.

"This is my game!" he declared, stealing the ball right out from under Riku's sneaker and racing off down the field with it as the silver-haired boy chased after him. He was grinning slightly.

Riku couldn't believe it. It wasn't possible; this sort of thing never happened to him. He was still stunned, even as his team stood around him in shocked disappointment and the other team cheered for their heroes. The match had been close, ending with only a two-point difference, yet he felt as if it had been much more than that. Still, he couldn't find even the smallest hint of anger or jealousy.

As the shock at his defeat faded, he instead felt a strange sense of pride. Team _Ketsudan_ had hoisted their captain and his blond twin onto their shoulders, and Riku couldn't take his eyes off him. The way the younger boy had played, running tirelessly up and down the field, shouting instructions and encouragement; he had proven that this _was_ his game. He had won and Riku had lost—not even he could stand up to the teamwork of Sora and his twin. They worked together flawlessly, and though the blond was not as skilled as his brother, he more than made up for it with sheer determination.

"Perhaps there is more to you than I thought," he muttered, still looking up at the laughing face of the boy who had beaten him. And with that, he turned, walked back up the hill and went into the boys' locker room, solitary as always.

Sora saw him go and felt an urge to chase after him, to congratulate him on a game well-played, but his teammates showed no signs of setting him back on his own feet any time soon. It was the first time anyone had managed to beat Riku's team at any sort of athletic competition, so Sora and Roxas were the heroes of the hour. Sora was proud, of course, and glad that once again he and Roxas had managed to pull off another brilliant bit of twin magic. They could almost communicate even without speaking and in the end it was that ability which won the game for Team _Ketsudan_, not his skills at soccer. He knew it as well as anyone else, and he was glad to have won the match. Yet he was far more interested in discussing the match and the plays with Riku than in being cheered for by his teammates.

But the silver-haired boy was already long gone, and Sora knew that even if he ran as fast as he could he wouldn't get to the locker room in time to speak to him. Besides, he got the feeling Riku would only have ignored him, despite his having done his best to be friendly the past two weeks. Nothing he did or said seemed to impress the older sophomore, much to Sora's frustration, and he was beginning to think that Riku might genuinely be a cold-hearted, narcissistic ass.

"I refuse to believe that!" he shouted in the direction of the locker room, hardly able to hear himself over the cheering. "You hear me, Riku? I know you're not as stuck up as you seem!" And he meant to prove it.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter VIII

Her perfectly manicured nails tap, tap, tapping on her desk, Miss Larxene waited. The clock on the wall ticked the seconds away, showing that classes had ended nearly five minutes ago. The blond brat had better not be late… A cruel smile curved her painted lips. It would be an excellent excuse to increase his punishment.

To her disappointment, the door opened moments later and Roxas walked in, his chin raised and back straight. He didn't look nearly as terrified as Larxene though he should.

"Take a seat, mister Strife," she purred, pointing at the desk directly in front of her own. He did as he was told and set his schoolbag by his feet as he stared past her. He was ready for whatever punishment she could dish out. Sora had told him stories and he wasn't scared.

Miss Larxene folded her hands neatly and gave him a stern look. "You understand why you're here, don't you, Roxas?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"And why is that, Roxas?"

Staring straight ahead, the blond sophomore didn't even bother looking at her. "Because some moron passed me a note in class today."

The word almost made her snap at the little twerp. How dare he call her Axel a moron? But she forced her tone to remain stern and kept her voice steady. "Do you know who it was that passed you the note, Roxas?"

"No, ma'am." Oh but he would like to; she could see it in his face, in the set of his jaw. He wanted revenge on whoever had gotten him in trouble.

Sighing, Larxene leaned back in her chair with an exhausted expression. "I'm sorry that I have to tell you this, Roxas, but you've become the target of a very cruel game." She gave him a sympathetic look. "One of the seniors, a boy called Axel, has been targeting new students ever since he started school here. He passes them notes and gives them nicknames. He makes these poor young students feel special and wanted, and then, once he has them in the palm of his hand, he drops them."

Stunned, Roxas sat in silence, listening intently to what his math teacher was telling him.

"They look up to him and think he's their friend then he refuses to talk to them, he makes fun of them behind their backs and teases them about secrets they trusted him with. The note you received today sounded just like notes we've had before and it has never ended well for the recipient." She almost had fake tears in her eyes. The kid was actually buying it! The little wheels in his head were turning away like he'd been hooked to a power generator and she could tell that he believed every word.

"Thank you for warning me about him, Miss Larxene," Roxas said, genuinely grateful that someone had thought to tell him. "I had no idea."

Miss Larxene smiled. "I'm just glad I was able to warn you before you got hurt. Now, as for your detention, it is difficult for me to decide how to punish you. Clearly you are the victim here, but I cannot allow the passing of notes in my class to go unpunished." She did her best to sound regretful about what she was about to do.

"Why not punish Axel, if he's the one sending the notes in the first place?"

"The notes are never signed and we have yet to catch him red-handed, and there's little we can do about him toying with other students' emotions."

Roxas resigned himself to his fate. "Am I to do lines or something?"

The woman seated before him frowned. "Lines? No, no, we have a different system of punishment around here, Roxas. A more effective one." Her tone made him gulp.

What had he gotten himself into?

Only eighteen more to go. She could do this; she could stand detentions with Luxord. It was only for a month.

She sat in the desk directly in front of his where he could keep an eye on her as she graded papers.

_I don't see why he can't grade these himself,_ she thought, annoyed. _ If he doesn't want to bother then why does he give out so many assignments?_

Another red check appeared on the paper she was currently looking over. He was watching her carefully and she knew it; she could feel his eyes on her even though he was pretending to read a book. A smirk curved up one corner of her mouth. Of course he was looking, why wouldn't he be? She dressed the way she did so that boys—and men—would look. Of course, she had to wear her uniform for classes and therefore to her detentions, but that didn't mean she couldn't add her own flair.

Finally the hour was over and Kairi stood to leave, her bag hung over her shoulder and the graded papers neatly stacked on the desk.

"Good night, Professor Luxord," she said with a nod before walking towards the door.

"Wait a moment, Kairi."

She turned. "Yes?"

Slowly rising from his chair, Professor Luxord approached her. "When you arrive tomorrow, I expect you to be dressed appropriately. Understood?"

"Appropriately?" Baffled, she blinked up at the tall blond man standing before her.

"Yes." He pointed at her blouse, which showed just a little too much cleavage, and at her skirt, which she wore just a little too short. "This is not acceptable under the dress code. Now, you may go." With a careless wave of his hand, he dismissed her, and she hurried out of the classroom.

"Inappropriate? He stares at me that whole time then calls it inappropriate? He's the first person to ever tell me to change how I dress," she muttered, and was so distracted that she almost walked directly into Roxas, who flinched away as if she had moved to hit him.

"Oh! Hi, Roxas, how are you?"

"Hey, Kairi, I'm all right," he replied, though he didn't look all right. His face was pale and his hands were shaking as he tightly gripped the shoulder straps of his bag. He didn't meet her gaze.

"Are you sure?" the sophomore girl asked, concerned. "You look like you might be sick…"

"I'm just tired," the boy sighed, apparently not capable of putting any more strength into his voice. "See ya, Kairi." And with that he shuffled past her and down the hallk, his back bent slightly as if he was cringing.

"Huh. That was weird," Kairi said to herself as she watched the blond student disappear around a corner. Shrugging, she resituated her bag and continued on her way to her room.

"All right, Namine, time to clean up for the day," Mister Marluxia called from the doorway, smiling slightly at his favorite art student.

"Yes, Mister Marluxia," the pale girl replied as she finished the project she was working on and began to clear away her supplies. She was grateful to him for allowing her to work in the art room after classes had ended while she waited for her cousin to get out of detention. After packing her things away, she wiped the table clean and washed the pain from her fingers, careful to get it out from under her fingernails. The hallways were dark when she left the classroom, turning off the lights and locking the door behind her. Hopefully, Kairi was finished with her detention by now.

As she walked, Namine began to hear soft music echoing through the halls and she found herself wandering towards the source and even humming along. The tune was familiar, though she couldn't quite place where she had heard it before. Finally, she found where the music was coming from; someone was in the music room playing the piano.

Not wanting to interrupt but curious, Namine crept to the door and peeked in through the small window. A boy sat at the shiny black piano, his back to her. He had a blond mullet that was spiked in the front and he sat proud and erect on the bench with the most perfect posture she had ever seen. His hands flowed over the keys, producing the beautiful music that had drawn her here. It took her a moment to recognize him. His name was Demyx and he was a junior. She had band class with him first thing in the morning and had already been impressed with his musical abilities; she had never heard him play piano before.

She stood listening for several moments and tried to remember where she had heard the song before. Her thoughts on that were abandoned, however, when someone she hadn't noticed before approached Demyx and stood behind him with a hand on his shoulder. Namine recognized the long pink hair instantly. It was Mister Marluxia. The male teacher must have said something because the music faltered and stopped; Demyx's hands froze on the keys. Namine watched in curiosity as the blond junior stood and turned to face the teacher. A moment later, she wished she had looked away. But, despite herself, she couldn't tear her gaze from what was happening in the music room. Not until Demyx turned his head and looked directly at her, his distress clear in his expression, did she finally manage to spin around and run as fast as she could to escape the image of what she had just witnessed.

She fled, and didn't stop running until she reached her dorm and locked the door behind her. Panting, she fell onto her bed and hugged her knees to her chest. Here she felt safe, but the guilt soon swept over her. How could she leave him like that? She should have run in and yelled for him to stop or at least gone and found someone who could help.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, "I'm sorry I couldn't be brave enough to help you." The look on his face when he'd seen her had almost brought tears to her eyes. He had looked so desperate and helpless and confused and she hadn't done a thing to help him. Namine couldn't have felt worse about herself.

Sora was still on his victory high. He had the stereo turned up and was singing along to the one song that fit his mood perfectly.

"I've paid my dues, time after time…I've done my sentence but committed no crime…and bad mistakes, I've made a few. I've had my share of sand kicked in my face but I've come through!" he sang, raising a fist into the air before pretending to play the guitar.

"We are the champions, my friends! And we'll keep on fighting till the end…we are the champions! We are the champions!" His body swayed in time to the music. "No time for losers 'cause we are the champions of the world!

"I've taken my bows," he bowed gracefully, "and my curtain calls…you brought me fame and fortune and everything that goes with it…I thank you all…"

He snatched up a comb from his desk and sang into it like a microphone. "But it's been no bed of roses, no pleasure cruise! I consider it a challenge before the whole human race and I ain't gonna lose!" Leaping onto his desk, the brunette boy turned to face the room and, lifting his arms, sang the last few lines with gusto. "We are the champions, my friends! And we'll keep on fighting till the end! We are the champions! We are the champions! No time for losers 'cause we are the champions…of the world!"

By the time the last note faded away, Sora was out of breath from singing along. Dropping the comb, he jumped off the desk and fell onto his bed, a grin on his face and his hands tucked under his head.

"I am the champion," he hummed, closing his eyes as his weariness from the game overtook him. It had taken his all to beat Riku, though he knew he probably would have lost had it not been for Roxas.

Just as he was on the verge of falling asleep, the door opened and shuffling footsteps crossed the room. He listened rather than opening his eyes and heard a bag hit the floor, followed by a pained groan.

"Roxas?" Sitting up, Sora looked at his twin in concern. "Are you all right?"

"Fine…" The blond sophomore slowly made his way over and contemplated the ladder. All he wanted was to get in bed and sleep but the task of climbing the ladder seemed like too much to ask of his abused body.

Not believing him for a second, Sora got up and stood before his twin. "Liar. You're hurt and I can tell. Is it from the soccer game?'Roxas shook his head. "No."

"Did someone beat you up?" The anger was clear in his voice and expression.

"Not exactly…"

"Then what happened?"

Roxas didn't want to tell him. It was too humiliating and he knew it would only upset him. But he wasn't sure if he would be able to lie to his twin, especially to his face.

"Tell me, Roxas, and I want the truth this time."

He sighed. "My detention with Miss Larxene."

Sora frowned. "What about it?"

Gesturing, Roxas turned his back to his twin. "Help me." He began unbuttoning his shirt. Confused, Sora helped his twin to shrug out of his white uniform shirt, a movement which obviously caused the blond more than just a little discomfort. When he saw what his brother was trying to show him, he could do little more than put his hand over his mouth in shock and horror.

"Roxas…!"

"I'm all right, Sora," he sighed, taking off his tie. "Just sore."

"What are those from?" Gently, the brunette trailed a finger along one of the angry red welts that covered his twin's back and shoulders.

"A yard stick…"

Outraged, Sora turned his brother to face him. "You have to go to Principal Xemnas about this, Rox. It isn't right."

"No, Sora. I'm fine and they'll be gone soon." Roxas managed a small smile. "Besides, somehow, I get the feeling Principal X wouldn't care, if this is what his teachers get away with."

"Well, she shouldn't get away with it," the other boy muttered as she twin climbed into his bunk.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter IX (2,547)

The beeping alarm on his phone jerked Roxas awake and he fumbled to shut it off, almost dropping it in the process. It was still light outside, yet he had been sleeping for the past two hours already.

"You coming to dinner?" Sora asked, setting down his game controller and standing to look up at him. They were supposed to meet Kairi and Namine at six and eat with them.

Before responding, the blond slowly climbed down from his bunk and stretched gingerly. "Mm…no, I don't think so. I'll just have ramen and try to do my homework."

"Okay…" Sora watched his brother's pained movements before taking his wallet and keys from his bag. "See yah later." He left.

"Bye." The door closed behind him.

Heaving a sigh, the blond sophomore sat at his desk and pulled his Calculus book out of his bag. He regretted not taking notes in class now that he had to try to complete the assignment without them. But there was no point in feeling sorry for himself, so he checked his planner for the assignment and flipped to the correct page in the textbook. What he found surprised him. Tucked between the pages were three neatly folded sheets of notebook paper. When he opened them, he discovered a fourth sheet folded into a square, but he was more interested in the three pages. In neat handwriting were the notes from class that day. Every example from the board and book, teacher's comments and definitions, all of it hand copied with obvious care. Someone had really taken their time on these notes.

His attention went to the fourth piece of paper and he unfolded it, although he had a feeling that he knew what it was. The first line did not surprise him in the slightest.

"Baby Blues."

The rest of the note wasn't any more unpredictable.

"I'm sorry for what happened in class today—it was stupid of me to pass a note in her class and I take full responsibility. I know by now you've likely already served your detention and that my apology is worthless to you, but I hope I can make it up to you. These notes are just the first thing I intend to do in order to earn your forgiveness. I'm sure your detention was brutal and I'm telling you that Miss Larxene does not have permission to punish anyone with physical harm. I'm also sure that she told you I'm no good, but please believe me when I say she's lying. I would really like to be your friend and I hope we can work this out. I'll see you in class tomorrow."

It was signed with what looked like an up-side-down teardrop.

For a moment, Roxas simply sat at his desk, looking at the note. He didn't know what to believe. The teacher he was supposed to respect but had punished him wrongfully, or the student he had yet to meet and had been warned away from but who seemed friendly despite his poor timing. Miss Larxene had warned him about the senior, Axel she had called him, but he claimed she was lying. So who did he believe? What did he do?

Sighing, he put the note in his desk drawer with all the other notes he had received during the first two weeks of classes. First, he would take care of his homework. He could ask Sora for advice when he got back from dinner. That decision made, he began his Calculus assignment with gusto—at least now he had notes.

Sora whistled to himself as he crossed the green space on his way to dinner. Namine and Kairi were probably already there waiting for him. The thrill of his soccer game victory put a spring in his step, but his thoughts were mostly focused on his brother. The welts on his back were going to bruise and a couple of them had small amounts of dried blood on them. Sora couldn't believe that a math teacher would do something like that over passing notes in class, even at a strict, structured school like this one. But he had thought Miss Larxene was crazy since his first day of Algebra II with her. This simply confirmed his suspicions that she was totally nuts.

"Good game today," a voice said from Sora's left; he jumped, startled. The older student who had snuck up on him smirked slightly, green-blue eyes practically sparkling with laughter.

"Riku! Where did you come from?" Sora demanded, blushing as he attempted to regain his composure.

He pretended to think about it. "My mom?"

"That's not what I meant!"

"Right." The smirk was still firmly in place. "I should have realized you would ask a general question and expect a specific answer."

Sora's temper flared. "What is that supposed to mean?!"

"Nothing, nothing." His tone implied that he definitely meant something by it. "I saw you walking and thought I should tell you good game."

The red in Sora's cheeks went from an angry flush to a pleased blush faster than he would have thought possible. "Thanks," he mumbled, suddenly feeling shy. "You too."

"Thanks."

They walked together in silence, not looking at each other or anything else, really. Sora was dying to say something, anything. He wanted to ask about getting a 24/7 pass to the school's sports equipment, wanted to ask what his favorite sport was, his fastest mile time and if he wanted to be a professional athlete. Sora wanted to know everything, but he was hesitant to ask. The older student was being decent towards him and he didn't want to screw it up or annoy him.

So, silent, they walked into the meal hall and joined the throng of students on their way to dinner.

"Want to sit with me?" Sora asked, raising his voice over the chatter of dozens of other students so that Riku could hear him.

"With you?"

"Well, us. I'm supposed to eat with Kairi and Namine."

Riku grinned. So this was why Kairi had been so determined to get him to agree to eat with them. He decided not to mention to the overly-enthusiastic boy beside him that he was meeting the girls as well. "Sure."

They went through the lines together, commenting on the food, discussing why certain things shouldn't be offered for meals, such as chili, because there was no way of knowing what sort of animal the meat came from. As they left the food lines and headed for the tables, almost all of which were full, Sora spotted a white-blond head and a reddish-pink head, along with a pair of waving arms. He nudged Riku and pointed.

"There they are." He nodded, and they made their way over to the small table, stepping over bags and feet and spilled food, dodging other students, chairs and elbows. By the time they reached the table, Sora felt like he'd just fought his way through a war zone, minus the guns.

"Did you have to pick six o'clock to meet?" he asked, all but dropping into a chair and setting his food down. Riku sat beside him, nodding at Kairi and Namine by way of greeting.

"It is sort of crowded, isn't it?" Kairi replied, glancing around the noisy room. Sora's mouth fell open in disbelief at her seeming obliviousness to the fact that six o'clock was the busiest time in the mean hall.

Riku disguised a laugh as a cough. "You look like an idiot." Immediately, the other boy snapped his mouth shut, embarrassed.

"So, where's Roxas? Isn't he coming, too?" Namine asked so quietly that Sora almost didn't hear her over the noise.

"No, he, uh, isn't feeling well." It wasn't exactly a lie—Roxas had definitely not been up to the task of navigating the meal hall—but he didn't want to tell them what happened. It was the time and it wasn't his right.

"He looked really out of it when I saw him after my detention earlier," Kairi commented, "and he was moving really slow."

A line appeared on Namine's forehead as she frowned, concerned. "Is he going to be okay?

"Yeah, yeah." He tried to sound casual as he picked up his burger. "He'll be fine in a few days."

"Oh, good." The blond girl's relief was evident. Kairi nodded before launching into a story about Professor Luxord criticizing the way she dressed. She seemed to be very offended by it, though from what she said, the teacher had not been offensive or even rude. Sora and Riku exchanged exasperated glances but didn't point out that or argue with her.

"I like the way you dress," the brunette offered once her story was finished. In truth, he hadn't paid much attention because most of his focus was on out doing Riku, but she had been looking at them expectantly and waiting for some sort of response.

"Thanks, Sora," she replied, blushing prettily and offering a flirtatious smile. He grinned, by her response then busied himself with his dinner. Riku rolled his eyes but didn't say anything—he was used to Kairi's flirtatious behavior and had at one time been the target of it. Normally, it didn't bother him when she flirted—despite her complete and utter lack of shame—but today it made him uneasy. He knew he didn't have anything for Kairi and she knew it too, so why did it bother him now? He glanced at Sora, noticing a slight pink tinge in his cheeks. He couldn't have a crush on the kid…could he?

Roxas was already sound asleep when Sora got back to their dorm, which didn't surprise him. It was ten o'clock at night and the blond rarely stayed up later than that, even on weekends.

Being as quiet as he could, Sora changed into his pajamas and got into bed without turning the light on. He hadn't planned on being gone for so long, but after dinner Kairi had invited him and Riku over to her and Namine's dorm. After that, he simply lost track of time.

Most of the talking was done by him and Kairi, though the other two had comments that weren't afraid to share. Namine spoke more than Riku, and Sora got the feeling that the moody boy didn't want to be there. He seemed annoyed and kept throwing glances at them while more or less ignoring them. He only spoke when asked direct question or when he had a particularly strong opinion on something which wasn't often. Sora felt like the other boy's bad mood was his fault, but he had no idea what he had done or how to fix it.

He wasn't too worried about Riku by the time he got back to his room, however. Thoughts of the silver-haired teenager had been replaced by thoughts of Kairi. They had made plans to go to the movies this weekend, and Sora thought she might like him. Who knew, maybe they would become more than friends after the movie.

"You sure were flirting with Sora a lot," the blond commented, sitting on her bunk, her knees together and her hands in her lap.

"Yep." Kairi stood at the sink, carefully wiping off her makeup. There wasn't much to take off, but she worried what might happen to her eyes and complexion if she left it on.

"Riku didn't seem very happy about it."

"Nope." She brushed out her hair.

For a moment, Namine stared at her cousin. Didn't she care that Riku was upset? "Did you know he would be?"

"Yep." The pink-haired girl changed out of her uniform and into her nightgown.

"You did it on purpose?" Namine asked in disbelief—it wasn't like Kairi to star drama. Her cousin took her time to finish brushing her teeth.

"Of course." She got into bed, settling comfortably under the blankets.

"Why?" The blond stood and went to the sink for her turn to get ready for bed. She rarely wore makeup but washed her face thoroughly regardless.

"Because I wanted to see if Riku would get jealous."

Namine used her reflection in the mirror to look at her cousin quizzically. "So you didn't know he would get upset."

Sitting up in bed, Kairi gave the other girl an exasperated look. Namine was too busy brushing and flossing her teeth to notice. "I wasn't entirely sure but I had my suspicions."

"Do you think Riku likes him?" The words were muffled as Namine pulled her pajama shirt on over her head and got in bed.

"Either he does or he's starting to but he doesn't realize it yet." With a shake of her head, Kairi lay back down, turning onto her side to look over at her cousin. "I'm going to make him realize it, though."

"How are you going to do that?" The other girl hugged her stuff paupu fruit to her chest.

"I'll flirt with Sora until Riku gets jealous enough to do something about it."

"But Sora's going to think you like him! And what if he doesn't like Riku that way? What if he doesn't even like boys?"

Kairi laughed. "He might not realize he does, but we'll find out. That kid isn't as straight as they come, I think."

Fidgeting, Namine hesitated then asked, "What about that junior, Demyx? Do you think he's straight?"

"Have you got a crush on him?" Kairi teased, smirking.

"No, but…"

The redhead could tell something was bothering her cousin and that it wasn't about a crush. Knowing that she wouldn't get anywhere by pushing, she waited patiently for Namine to speak her mind.

"I saw Mister Marluxia kissing him!" The blond blurted out then put her hands over her mouth, her eyes wide.

Kairi sat bolt upright. "What?"

Namine nodded and spoke through her fingers. "In the music room…Demyx was playing the piano and I was just standing in the hall listening and then Mister Marluxia came up behind him and pushed him against the piano and kissed him!" She buried her face in her paupu.

"Well, did Demyx seem to be okay with it?" the other girl asked uncertainly. "I mean, did he smile or kiss him back?"

"No! He turned his head away and, Kairi, he saw me! He looked me right in the eye and I knew that he was scared by what was happening but didn't know what to do! I should have helped him but I didn't! I ran away!" Tears were running down her face and soaking her paupu as she cried silently, ashamed of herself and frightened for the mulletted boy.

Kairi got up and crossed the room to hug her cousin. "Shhh, it's all right, Mi-Mi," she soothed, patting her back. "It isn't your fault; don't blame yourself. You did what was best for you and that's what matters."

"But what if it happens again, Kai?" the blond girl whispered, fearful. "What if next time is worse?"

"Then Demyx can report him," Kairi replied firmly. "He's a smart guy, Mi-Mi. He can take care of himself. Okay?"

Sniffing, Namine wiped her eyes and nodded. "Okay."

Kairi hugged her again then returned to her own bed. "Night, Mi-Mi."

"Good night, Kai." The light clicked off.


	10. Chapter 10

Gale: Hey-o! Just wanted to say hi to everyone who's reading my story! I hope you are all enjoying reading it just as much as I am enjoying writing it :)

Sonshi: Yeah if only you were a little quicker to update...

Xinossh: Be nice, Shi! She's a busy person!

Gale: As you can see, I have my beloved OC's Sonshi the Somebody and Xinossh, her Nobody. I know they have nothing to do with this fic but they make me laugh so I thought it wouldn't hurt anything to share them with the world.

Xinossh: Oh! Oh! Reviews make Gale super happy so you should leave them!

Sonshi: Flames are more than welcome, too. We'll use them to make tea...or something...does it have to be tea?

Gale: No, Sonshi, but, oh! I'm getting carried away. So, enjoy Chapter X!

Chapter X

Namine looked down at her feet as she walked into the music room, holding onto the strap of her bag as if it alone was keeping her from falling off the earth. Silent, she went to the back of the room and took her instrument case down from its place on the shelf. Inside, nestled among the velvet, was one of her most precious possessions: a delicate silver flute given to her by her parents for her tenth birthday.

Gently, she lifted it from its resting place and carefully slid the pieces together then put her case away and went to her seat. She avoided meeting anyone's gaze rather than talking to any of the friends she had made and known over the years.

"Hey, Namine," a pretty girl with long red hair greeted her, sitting beside her. She played the flute as well, though she much preferred singing.

"Hi, Ariel," Namine replied quietly without looking up.

"How are you?" The other girl set her music on her stand and tossed her hair over her shoulder.

"I'm okay. You?"

"Happier than a clam!" she giggled, smiling widely. Namine liked Ariel because the other girl was always in a good mood and could cheer up just about anyone. Not to mention she gave good advice and was one of the friendliest people the blond had ever met.

Before she could say anything in response, the director stepped up to the podium and called the class to order.

"Warm ups and tune!" he called as the students took their seats, baton in hand. "You all know the drill by now, I trust."

They did. Scales for warm ups then tuning, followed by practicing the three songs they would be playing for the fall concert. Namine kept her eyes on her music for the duration of class. She wasn't sure if she could handle making eye contact with the man standing just a few feet away. Regardless of what Kairi said, she still felt guilty for running. Even worse was the fact that Demyx sat almost directly behind her; she was trapped between the boy and his teacher and couldn't think of a place she would rather be less.

Sitting between them was taking a toll on her nerves—she missed easy notes and fumbled on tempo and scale changes. It was frustrating, which only made things worse. She knew the songs and had played them perfectly the day before so why was she having so much trouble getting the right notes to come out at the right times?

Finally, Mister Marluxia called an end to the practice and told them to pack up. Her eyes still all but glued to the floor, Namine hurriedly did so in the hopes that no one would try to talk to her. Once her flute was safely in its case and back on the shelf, she approached the mulletted boy as he stood away from the other students.

"Um…Demyx…?" Nervous, she looked up at him through her bangs.

"What?" he mumbled, glancing at her; she could tell he'd been avoiding making eye contact with other students just like she had.

"I just wanted to make sure that you're okay…I mean, is everything all right?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't it be?"

"Well," she hesitated, aware that someone might overhear what she was about to say, and lowered her voice. "I saw you yesterday…with Mister Mar—"

"Stop."

Surprised at having been interrupted, Namine looked up and saw the expression on his face; it made her want to wince. He was glaring at her, angry that she had seen and brought it up, but also scared and confused, even a little hurt.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, "I just—"

"No." He was shaking his head. "Don't talk to me, ever. Just don't." Without another word he slipped through the door and disappeared down the hall.

"But-!" she called after him, only it was too late. Sighing, she hung her head—she shouldn't have said anything to him about it.

"Is everything all right, Namine?" a voice asked from just behind her. Startled, she spun around and looked up into a pair of kind eyes.

"Y-yes! Fine!" Blue eyes wide, she stared up at her once-favorite teacher and hoped desperately that he had not heard her talking to Demyx.

The teacher smiled. "Good. I was wondering because you seemed to be struggling with the music today, and normally you do quite well."

Namine blushed at the compliment. "Thank you, Mister Marluxia, I've just got a lot on my mind, is all." It was hard to believe that the kind, passionate teacher was the same man that she had seen, kissing a student without consent.

"Well, you know where to find me if you ever wish to talk, Namine. I'd be glad to help."

She smiled a little. "Thank you." Before either teacher or student could say anything more, the bell rang and Namine joined the flow of students into the hall. She still felt bad for upsetting Demyx, but she didn't know what to think about Mister Marluxia anymore. What if he hadn't meant to scare her talented classmate? This could all be a misunderstanding. More than anything, Namine wished she had never followed the music and seen what she had.

The only sound in Miss Larxene's classroom was that of pencils on paper. She sat poised at her desk, watching her second hour Calculus class take their first pop quiz. If any of those sniveling brats tried to cheat, she'd teach them a lesson. As she scanned the room, she spotted a student asleep at his desk with his chin propped in his hand and his eyes shut. Oh, no, that would not be tolerated.

Fixing an overly sweet smile in place, she stood and approached him, her stiletto heels almost silent on the carpeted floor. Her action caught the attention of every other student in the room and they paused mid-answer to watch. The classroom was suddenly silent.

"Axel," she cooed, touching his shoulder.

Startled awake, the senior sat bolt upright in his chair. "What?" Everyone was staring at him and Miss Larxene was smiling at him like she was the cat and he was the canary.

Shit…

"That's a detention, Axel," Miss Larxene said sweetly. "My room right after classes—one hour."

The thought made him want to puke. His hands clenched into fists under his desk. "Yes, Miss Larxene." He stared up at her defiantly, knowing full well what she would try to do when he arrived for his detention. Idiot, he thought, berating himself for falling asleep. Why had he stayed up so late? It wasn't like he'd been doing anything important. His hands were fisted so tight his nails bit into his palms and he could feel himself shaking; he felt like he was going to be sick.

"Damn it," he muttered, closing his eyes and trying to regain control of his body. No way was he letting that whore of a teacher see how much she affected him. Taking a deep breath, he forced his hands to unclench, stretching his fingers, and opened his eyes. She was watching him from her desk, leaning forward so that he had a clear view down her blouse; he quickly looked away and turned his focus to his unfinished quiz. A light scribble of pencil halfway through an answer was proof that he had dozed off while writing, so he erased the mark and finished the problem before moving onto the next one. He would worry about his detention when he came to it. For now, he had to finish the quiz and focus on his other classes, no matter how many sultry, smoldering looks Miss Larxene sent him.

Almost without meaning to, he glanced over to where Roxas sat, hunched over his desk and working diligently on his own quiz. He hoped the blond would forgive him for getting him in trouble the day before and that the notes he had taken would help. He sighed and solved the next equation on his quiz.

Zexion was going to have a cow when he heard about this one.

"All right, students. Place yourselves into groups of three, _quietly_, and get to work on your labs. Part of your grade will be based on how well you work together," Professor Vexen called to his students.

Before hardly anyone had the chance to move, Kairi was out of her seat and halfway across the room to where Sora was sitting.

"Be in my group?" she asked, blue eyes twinkling, hip cocked to the side as her slim-fingered hands pressed down on his half of the table he shared with his neighbor.

"Uh…sure…who else? We need three," he pointed out, looking up at her in something similar to a star-struck daze. Kairi smiled adorably and lifted one manicured hand to gesture to someone behind Sora, and the next moment the chair to his left was occupied by none other than the silver-haired athlete Sora so admired. He couldn't help but grin. This class was going better than he'd thought.

Kairi twinkled at him, pulling the cutest expression she could manage; this had to go according to plan. "Is it all right if Riku works with us?"

"Sure!" Sora flushed lightly and glanced at the quiet boy, almost embarrassed by his apparent enthusiasm. He'd never had trouble talking to girls or flirting before, even though he'd never really liked any of them more than friends. Still, the way Kairi looked at him made his heart pound, and he definitely liked that.

The pink-haired girl smiled. "Cool. Riku, you're fine with working with me and Sora, right?"

Shrugging, Riku opened his text book, flipped it to the correct page and began reading the instructions for the lab they would be working on for the rest of class. He wasn't surprised that Kairi wanted to work with him and Sora, but he didn't like having to watch her shine for him. Even worse, he was disgusted with himself for letting it bother him.

I do not like him, he thought, taking his notebook from his bag with more aggression than was entirely necessary and almost slamming it down on the table. He's just a kid, nothing special. Unfortunately, he wasn't doing a very good job convincing himself that he didn't have a crush on the brunette boy. There'd never been anyone like Sora at Kingdom High before, and secretly he thoroughly enjoyed the athletic challenge the younger student provided. But that didn't mean he was willing to sit there and listen to him flirt with Kairi, the one girl in the entire school who could probably seduce just about any male she desired.

"Are you two going to start making out or can we get started?" he asked in a biting tone, and was secretly pleased by the embarrassed blush on both their faces. "This lab is important and if my GPA drops too much I'll be put on athletic probation, and don't think I won't blame the pair of you."

The thought of Riku not being allowed to participate in sports had Sora scrambling to get started on the lab. What would he do without the silver-haired boy to compete against? None of his other fellow students had proved to be much of a challenge, though that spiky-haired redhead senior definitely knew how to handle a ball—he simply wasn't serious enough about athletics for Sora to consider him real competition. There would be no glory for him without a decent opponent, and he wasn't about to be responsible for Riku being put under athletic probation.

Pretending to be embarrassed, Kairi pulled up a chair and sat on the other side of the table from the two boys and read through the lab instructions as Professor Vexen surveyed his class for any troublemakers. It wasn't quite the reaction she wanted from Riku, but it was close. Irritation was definitely an improvement from his normally apathetic response to the world, although she'd been hoping for at least a spark of jealousy to show. She could see the internal conflict in him like a war zone.

"Will you start the burner, Sora?" she asked, looking at him through her eyelashes. "It always startles me when the fire flares up."

Sora smiled and Riku rolled his eyes. "No problem, Kairi. I'll take care of it." Emboldened by the trust she had placed in him, he turned on the gas and lit the fire with ease, grinning the whole time. She rewarded him with a smile and a promise to make it up to him, even though he insisted it was nothing.

For the rest of class, Riku and Sora followed the instructions as Kairi read them aloud from Riku's textbook. Both boys were pleased with how well they worked together, though Sora was willing to show it while Riku was not. Professor Vexen could find little wrong with their work when he came around to inspect their progress, and Sora felt a glowing pride like he usually only got from scoring a goal. He understood why Roxas always studied so much, though he still preferred the physical strain of athletics as compared with sitting at a desk working out equations and formulas.

When the ten-minute bell rang and the class began clearing their supplies, Sora turned to Riku with a smile. "Thanks for working with us, Riku."

"Yeah, thanks," Kairi added, standing close to Sora while discreetly watching the silver-haired athlete.

Riku shrugged, packing his things away and not making eye contact with either of them. He could feel Kairi's eyes on him and knew that if he looked at Sora she would see how torn he was. "No problem."

"You guys wanna meet for dinner tonight?" Sora asked hopefully, picking up his bag as they all waited for the end-of-class bell. "Say, five-thirty?"

Smiling, Kairi tucked her hair behind her ear and twinkled at him. "Sure, sounds great."

With that partial victory, Sora turned deep blue eyes on the other boy. "Riku? You too?"

After a moment, Riku straightened and looked directly at the shorter boy. "If I'm finished working out."

"Cool." Sora grinned up at him, pleased that the older student had agreed. It wasn't a full agreement, but it was close enough. Before any of them could say anything more, the bell rang to signal the end of class and Riku was gone. He had History next like Sora, but he never seemed to consider even for a moment that they could walk together. Sora tried not to be hurt by his abrupt departure and instead focused on asking Roxas if he would invite Namine to eat with them, too. The more, the merrier, and he knew Roxas wouldn't mind having her along.

Kairi watched Sora leave, smiling to herself. They would be so cute together, if only she could get them to admit it, too. Well, she certainly didn't mind a little match-making, which was exactly what she intended to do.

Gale: Oh Kairi, I will have so much fun manipulating everyone through your schemes...I hope you all enjoyed it!

Xinossh: Don't forget to review! We have lots of fun reading and responding!

Sonshi: And feel free to flame. Those make us laugh, too.

Gale: Your opinions are important and I would love to hear them :) I'm always open for suggestions or constructive criticism! Chapter XI coming soon! Later!


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter XI (2,553)

Almost there…come on…reach...! His fingertips just barely brushed the side of the bag of flour and Roxas gave up with a pained sigh. Normally it wouldn't have been any trouble at all to get the flour down from its place in the cupboard, but the past few days had done little to ease the soreness in his back. The few spots that had been bleeding were mostly healed, but the swelling wasn't gone yet, and his back still looked like he'd been used as a punching bag by a professional boxer. If he had to miss P.E. too many more times because he couldn't manage to run or stretch, it was going to show in his grade and then his G.P.A. would go down. Roxas could handle a little stiffness and soreness. He couldn't bear the thought of his grades dropping without being able to do anything about it.

Shaking his head, he told himself to focus on what he was doing, not worry about a class he had later.

"Do you need help, Roxas?" a sweet voice asked from behind him, and he reluctantly nodded, moving aside so Namine could get the flour down. They were supposed to be making chocolate crescents, but so far Namine had gotten most of the ingredients and utensils out, considering almost all of them were stored in cupboards and on shelves higher than their heads. Roxas couldn't manage to reach very high without having to grit his teeth against the pain in his back, so Namine had insisted he let her take care of it because she didn't want him to hurt himself.

"I'm sorry I can't be of more help," Roxas apologized for the eighth time that class as he measured out how much flour they would need. "I know it isn't fair that you have to do some of my work."

Namine smiled and lightly touched his shoulder with one slim, pale hand. "It's fine, Roxas. I don't mind helping, and it wouldn't be fair to ask you to do something that would hurt you." He could still feel her fingers on his shoulder even after she moved away and started cutting the chocolate into small pieces, and his cheeks were warmer than usual as he watched her. Roxas had never paid much attention to girls before—his grades and Sora had always come first—but he enjoyed spending time with Namine over the past few weeks and it made him happy to be around her. She was just so sweet and kind…he wasn't surprised that he was starting to get what he suspected was a crush on her.

"Quit loitering and get to work," a gruff voice sounded from just behind the blond boy, and Roxas jumped, startled.

"Y-yes, Coach Xaldin," he stammered, hurrying to help Namine despite his back's protests. He still wasn't used to the fact that Coach Xaldin was the Home Ec. teacher, although it made sense if he thought about it more as health class than Home Ec. Even so, the thought of Coach Xaldin wearing an apron and oven mitts was enough to send Roxas into fits of laughter, and when he had described the image to Sora, the brunette had been doubled over for at least five minutes.

Under the watchful eye of the coach, Roxas and Namine worked side-by-side to produce a batch of chocolate crescents, cleaned the dishes while the desserts baked, then waited with bated breath as Coach Xaldin selected one and took a bite. He chewed thoughtfully, as if the food would tell him the secret to life if he took long enough to eat it. Roxas' jaw twitched impatiently, but he made no other indication of his annoyance with the teacher.

"A-," Coach Xaldin finally declared, and Namine and Roxas shared triumphant smiles. "The bread was just a little under-baked. A few more minutes in the oven and they'll be A+ crescents." Namine wasted no time in grabbing up the pan of remaining desserts and putting them back in the oven. She set the timer to three minutes as the coach moved onto the next pair of students and tasted the crescents they had produced.

"Good job today," Roxas complimented his partner, gingerly leaning back on the counter. Even that little pressure ignited a flair of pain. "You deserve that A more than I do."

Namine blushed prettily, smiling. "Please, Roxas, you deserve it, too. You're just as good at cooking as I am, you know."

"Thanks." He offered an uncertain smile, too shy to tell her of his feelings yet wanting her to know. I'll just wait for a better time. Home Ec. class isn't exactly the best place for that sort of conversation.

She was still smiling at him. He used taking the crescents out of the oven as an excuse to look away from her, disguising his blush with the heat from the oven. Bending over pulled at the sore spots on his back, but he was too busy thinking about Namine's smile to notice.

"Why don't you want to talk about it?"

"There's nothing to talk about, Kairi."

The redhead moved in front of the moody boy and put her hands on her hips, blocking his path. "Liar."

He glared. "What exactly do you think I'm lying about?"

"I think you like him. Like-like him."

"What? No, I don't."

"Do, too. I can tell. You've never acted the way you act around him around anyone else. Come on, Riku, you know you can tell me," she tried to persuade him. The conversation began when Kairi had ambushed the reclusive athlete outside the locker room, and she had yet to make any real progress. Sometimes that boy could be frustrating beyond belief.

Riku brushed past her, on his way to his room to study. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh yes you do!" She had to hurry to keep up with his longer strides. "He wasn't there to workout with you today, was he." It wasn't a real question and she didn't bother to wait for a reply. "I saw him and Roxas leave campus, and I've never seen you less focused on a workout than you were today."

"I didn't know you liked to watch me work out, Kairi."

She ignored the mocking tone of his comment. "So I'm guessing you missed having him with you. Right?"

"Maybe," Riku hedged, seeming not to notice that his pace was forcing her to almost jog. "What's it matter, anyway?"

"What if I told you he likes you back?" She smiled when Riku's stride faltered for a moment before he continued as if it hadn't happened.

"What do I care if he does?"

Holding back an exasperated sigh, Kairi grabbed his arm and forced him to stop and face her despite his glare. "I want you to look me in the eyes and tell me he doesn't mean anything more to you than a workout buddy."

They stood facing each other for several moments, neither moving, then Riku turned away with a huff and continued on, his hands shoved deep in his pockets and his shoulders hunched slightly. He didn't bother to look back to see if Kairi was following him or not, and he didn't care. Why was she so interested in how he felt about the younger boy, anyway? It wasn't like his feelings mattered, and he was certain she'd been lying when she said Sora liked him, that she'd only been trying to trick him into revealing something he'd rather keep to himself.

When no footsteps sounded behind him, Riku relaxed his posture and settled back into his usual stride. Kairi could think whatever she wanted; he wasn't about to confess anything to anyone, especially not to Sora, and if that was what she wanted then she was in for a long wait.

Elbows touching and walking in step with each other, Roxas and Sora explored the streets of the town just down the road from Kingdom High Boarding School. It was their first time outside of campus since school had begun, so they were curious about what the town, which unsurprisingly was called Kingdom, had to offer. So far it consisted of cozy neighborhoods and small, locally owned shops ran primarily by extended families. The twin boys had never been in a town like it before and found the whole place to be fascinating. It was nothing like the cities they were used to, full of bustling traffic, people on cell phones and that ever-present smog. Kingdom was quiet, clean and peaceful. It was easy to see why the school had been built nearby. With Kingdom for shopping and entertainment needs and the beach only an hour away, the students had little to want for.

"Good thing Mom and Dad decided to send us here," Sora commented as they walked down the street, enjoying one of the last warm evenings they would have that fall. His eyes moved over every store window, searching tirelessly for a "Help Wanted" sign.

"Yeah. I prefer this to last few places we lived."

"We should go to the beach with Kairi and Namine this weekend."

"But we can't drive," Roxas reminded him, a hint of regret coloring his tone. The idea of taking the girls to the beach was an exciting one and he knew they'd have a good time. If they had a way to get there.

Sora groaned, slumping his shoulders and dragging his feet dramatically. "Oh, if only we had been born a year earlier so that we might have licenses and be able to take pretty girls out on dates!" he wailed as clutched at Roxas' arm while a few locals out for afternoon walks stared in alarm. The blond boy's cheeks flamed as he waved at the strangers and smiled to show that nothing was wrong.

"You're making people stare at us!" he muttered, attempting to pry Sora's fingers from his arm with little success.

"Better they know we're nuts now than find out later," the brunette whispered back, grinning. Then he ruffled Roxas' hair before letting him go and continuing down the sidewalk, whistling to himself as if none of it had happened. Still flushed, Roxas took a moment to shake his hair back to its original shape before following his overly-energetic twin into a small shop.

A bell chimed as the brunette opened the door, looking around curiously. "Hello?"

"Come in!" a cheerful woman's voice called from the back of the store. "I'll be right with you!"

Looking around curiously, the two boys shuffled in and stood just inside the door, amazed by the merchandise displayed around them. It wasn't like any store they'd ever encountered before, and they'd been in quite a few odd shops in their time.

"I'm not sure if I want to work here or if I'm terrified of the people who shop here," Sora whispered.

Roxas opened his mouth to reply but before he could, a slim woman with black hair appeared from the depths of the store.

"Hi! I'm Yuffie, what can I do for you boys?" She smiled, one hand on a cocked hip. Roxas and Sora couldn't help but stare. The woman was dressed in tight-fitting yellow shorts and a blue tube top with knee-high socks and mid-calf boots. Her short black hair was held back by a headband. Several moments passed before Roxas realized what the woman said and nudged Sora forward.

"Um," the brunette blinked, obviously still startled, "are…are you hiring?" His tone was meek and half-apologetic, like he was afraid to be wasting her time.

The woman blinked. "Oh! Of course! Did you want to apply?" She didn't wait for them to answer before retrieving an application form from behind the front counter. Sora just nodded and took the form, trying his best to offer a polite smile.

"Thank you."

"No problem! You can bring that back whenever you're finished filling it out! Feel free to look around." With another friendly smile, she turned and went back the way she'd come, humming to herself. Once she was gone, Roxas turned to Sora and let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

"Well, I wonder what sort of things you'd do if you worked here."

Sora swallowed hard. "Probably polish the daggers." With one last glance around, he turned and exited the store, Roxas following close behind. The light from the setting sun seemed oddly bright after the dim shop, but the twins welcomed it. The woman had been friendly and the shop was in no way a frightening place, but Sora knew it would take some getting used to if he was to work there.

"Come on," Roxas murmured, slipping his hand into Sora's and pulling him down the street. "We should get back before they lock the gates." And, hand-in-hand, they made their way back down the road towards school.

Zexion sat at his desk, homework forgotten, as he watched Axel stare moodily out the window at the darkening courtyard. He knew he should say something, but he also knew that there was nothing he could say that would help, so he maintained his silence. Still, he hated the strained silence that filled their dorm.

"How bad was it?"

The silence returned as Axel formulated an answer. "Bad enough." His hands gripped the window sill so hard his nails were digging into the wood and his shoulders were tense as if he expected an attack; fury practically radiated from him. "She threatened him. I thought I could just ignore her like usual, but she said that if I didn't do what she wanted, then she'd 'get rid of that blonde kid' to 'persuade' me." His grip on the sill tightened until his knuckles popped. "I couldn't let her do anything to him because of me." Turning to the blue-haired senior, he all but pleaded, "There was nothing I could do! She knows I like him and the bitch is using him against me!"

"Axel," Zexion said calmly, getting up and moving to stand in front of his red-haired friend. "Don't torture yourself over this. Don't let her get to you. The blonde's a smart kid—he can take care of himself. You worry about you."

"But it's my fault she's after him," he pointed out. "If it weren't for me then she wouldn't even know his name."

"There's nothing you can do about it right now. Why don't you just talk to the kid before she has a chance to try anything?"

"He doesn't know who I am," Axel muttered, turning back to the window. "And he probably doesn't want to know, now that I got him in trouble. You know what that bitch probably did to him. He'd hate me if he ever knew who I was."

Zexion didn't argue with him because he knew the other senior was most likely right. He'd noticed the blonde freshman sitting out of P.E. and acting like he was in pain. "You have to try. Otherwise you're letting her win." As Axel thought that over, Zexion returned to his desk and began working on his homework again. Axel turned back to the window.

"I guess you're right," he admitted after a few moments of quiet.

Zexion grinned. "Aren't I always?"


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter XII (2771)

He was going to strangle her. Or kiss her. He hadn't quite decided which yet, and being in the same room as her certainly wasn't helping. His eyes hadn't left her since the moment she'd entered his classroom.

Kissing her would better express his frustration, he knew, but then again, she could get him into serious trouble with the headmaster if he tried that. Not that strangling her wouldn't get him into even more trouble.

Innocent as could be, she sat in the front row with a two stacks of paper on her desk, carefully grading each one. Her ankles were crossed beneath the chair and she was leaning forward slightly, an action that would have allowed him a teasing view of her chest had she not dressed more modestly, as he'd demanded.

Why had he ever complained about the way she dressed?

But that wasn't the worst part. The little minx had brought a sucker exactly the same shade of red as her hair with her and sat there licking it as if it wouldn't drive him crazy.

She knows exactly what she's doing, he thought bitterly, leaning back in his chair as he pretended to read a book. Luxord hated that he'd allowed himself to be snared by her charms, just like most every other boy in the school. She was a flirt and Luxord very well knew it, so why couldn't he take his eyes off her?

After finishing another paper, Kairi leaned back in her chair and stretched her arms, pulling her blouse tight across her chest. Then she stood, straightening her uniform, and approached his desk, still sucking on that damned lollipop. Luxord lowered his book and looked up at her.

"Is there a problem, Kairi?"

"No," she replied innocently, perching on the corner of his desk and crossing one leg over the other. "At least, I don't have a problem."

"Then why have you stopped working? You still have another seven minutes left before you are allowed to leave, and don't think I'll let you talk me into letting you leave early. You'll get to the dance on time even if I hold you over a few minutes." He pretended to go back to reading his book. Hardly a moment had passed, however, before slim fingers appeared over the pages and the book was removed from his loose grip. Irritated now, Luxord stood and scowled down at the redhead student who smiled back at him so sweetly.

"Return to your desk and work until the end of your detention, Kairi," he ordered, pointing at her vacated desk. She licked her lollipop.

"But I don't want to."

Luxord paused. Was she…teasing him? "I didn't ask if you wanted to."

"I know." Kairi examined her lollipop, admiring the color. "And I know what you want."

"What might that be, this thing you think I want?"

Smiling, the redhead walked her fingers up his chest, enjoying the control she had over him. "Me."

Luxord somehow managed to roll his eyes and turn away from her, moving beyond the reach of those tormenting fingers. "You are sadly mistaken if you believe that I am attracted to you, Kairi." He glanced at the clock, hoping desperately that time was up. Another four minutes to go.

Kairi smiled and licked her lollipop. "Then you shouldn't have been staring at me while I was working, just like you did yesterday and the day before and the day before that. You've been watching me for weeks, Professor; don't think I hadn't noticed.

Damn. So she'd seen him looking. That didn't mean he was going to admit that she was right, even though the temptation to push her back on his desk and kiss the hell out of her was getting stronger by the minute.

Four minutes.

Lollipop in hand, Kairi hopped down from his desk and walked up behind him, trailing her finger up and down his rigid spine. "Well? Aren't you going to say anything? Or do anything…?"

She was trying to seduce him! The little minx was trying to get him fired for giving her a month of detentions by toying with his emotions!

Turning, Luxord pushed her hand down and glared at her, standing at his full height. "Enough, Kairi. Your behavior these past few minutes has been unacceptable. This detention is over. Get out of my classroom."

Deep blue eyes met icy cold ones, and after a few moments Kairi lowered her gaze in defeat.

"Yes, Professor." She turned, gathered her things, and left without another word.

The blond man watched her go, torn. He hadn't wanted to send her away, in fact he wanted nothing more than to run after her and admit that she was right, but he couldn't do that. If he did, he could lose his job and even have his degree taken away for going after a minor. All Kairi could ever be to him was a challenge to his self-control.

Slowly, Luxord gathered the papers from the desk she had used and sat at his own desk, rubbing a hand over his eyes. At least now that she had finished her detentions he would only have to see her in class, and she could hardly tempt him then.

"Stop messing with it!"

"It's bugging me!"

Roxas smacked Sora's hands away and fixed his brother's collar for the seventh time since they had gotten dressed. The brunette was incapable of leaving it alone and his constant fidgeting was getting on Roxas' nerves. They were crossing campus towards the practice field where the Homecoming Dance was to be held, dressed in black dress pants and matching blue dress shirts. Roxas had originally been wearing a tie, but Sora's remark that he looked like a business man convinced him to take it off.

They could hear the dance long before they reached it, and it took several moments for their eyes to adjust to the sudden brightness. The practice field had been transformed into what appeared to be an outdoor dance club. Temporary stands held lights of every color that flashed and moved, a DJ was set up in the center with a huge sound system that was blasting out new hit, and one side of the field held long tables covered in white cloth with dishes of deserts and snacks along with several bowls of various drinks.

"Sora, Roxas!" two voices called in unison and the twins turned to see Namine and Kairi approaching them. They stared, making the cousins giggle. Namine wore a flowing white dress with ballet flats and a sash the color of her eyes while Kairi wore a short black dress with high heels and jewelry the color of her hair.

"You look very nice, Namine," Roxas complimented her, and she blushed, smiling.

"Thank you, Roxas. So do you."

The blond boy offered his arm. "Shall we?" Namine nodded, taking his arm, and the two made their way onto the field to dance among the crowd.

Kairi smiled flirtatiously at Sora and twirled. "Well, what do you think?"

"U-um…you look great, Kai…"

She giggled and slipped her hand into his, kissing his cheek. "Thanks. I like the color of your shirt. It matches your eyes."

Sora's cheeks heated and he mumbled a thank you, electrically aware of her hand in his and the spot her lips had touched. "You wanna dance…?"

"I'd love to." Kairi squeezed his hand gently and lead him to where Namine and Roxas were dancing, and they joined the other two, becoming just another couple in the crowd.

Zexion was not happy. "Remind me why I let you drag me along to this, again."

"Because I'd miss your cheery personality if you'd stayed in the dorm all night," Axel replied.

"Yeah, right."

The two seniors were standing at the end of the buffet table, watching their classmates dance. Zexion wore black skinny jeans, a black button down and silver vest while Axel wore blue jeans and a deep red shirt. The redhead's eyes hadn't left the form of Roxas since he'd seen him walk onto the field. He wasn't at all surprised to see him dancing with some cute little blond girl, but that didn't mean he wasn't jealous. After all, he'd wanted to ask Roxas to the dance, but getting him in trouble with Larxene had ruined his intentions. Now his best chance was to maintain a safe distance until he could get back on the younger student's good side.

"Axel," a voice purred in his ear. The senior jumped and swore, startled, then turned to see Miss Larxene, who was wearing a blood red dress that was so tight he was amazed she could breathe. His shoulders stiffened as she stepped closer; he could smell her perfume.

"Won't you dance with me, Axel?" the teacher asked, her tone sultry and her body language practically shouting that she had more on her mind than simple dancing.

"I'd rather not, Miss Larxene."

The older woman pouted, touching his arm. "But why not, Axel? Just for old time's sake?" She smiled winsomely and he sighed.

"Fine." It was a bad idea and he knew it, but maybe if he gave in she would stop attacking Roxas. Larxene smiled, linking her arm through his and walking with him out onto the field as a slow song began.

Perfect, Axel thought sarcastically as he turned to her and set his hands on her tiny waist. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed close against him, laying her head on his shoulder. As they danced, Axel did his best to ignore the fact that she was not wearing a bra and the way she played with the hair at the nape of his neck. There was a time when he would have taken advantage of this sort of situation, but not anymore. Over her shoulder, he saw Zexion slip away into the darkness and wondered if he would manage to escape her at any point during the dance.

Bored, Zexion stood back from the lights of the dance and watched the party from the shadows where he wouldn't be seen. He felt bad for Axel but there was little he could do to help, and he wasn't too concerned because after graduation in the spring, they would both be free of this school for the rest of their lives. Axel just had to wait it out.

A sound that didn't belong at a homecoming dance caught Zexion's attention. Hushed whispers and footsteps, someone protesting and what very nearly sounded like crying. His curiosity building, the blue-haired senior silently made his way towards the sounds, and was shocked by what he found.

A blond student he was pretty sure was a junior but didn't know the name of was pinned on his back while Mister Marluxia, the fine arts teacher, hovered over him. It was the blond student who was crying while Marluxia tried to silence him. Zexion could only barely hear what was being said over the music.

"Please stop…" That was the student.

"Shhh, Demyx," Marluxia tried to soothe him, touching the blonde's cheek. "I'm not going to hurt you."

Zexion made sure to remember the name Demyx, creeping closer in order to hear them better.

"I-I don't like it! Mister Marluxia-!" he was silenced as the pink-haired teacher kissed him.

The blue-haired senior looked away, disgusted. Marluxia was doing to Demyx what Larxene was doing to Axel. When he finally looked back, the teacher had ceased kissing the student and was busy trying to open the blonde's pants while Demyx cried silently. Anger seared across Zexion's thoughts and he almost revealed himself in order to save the helpless junior.

"S-stop…Mister M-Marluxia…please…ah!"

The teacher had succeeded in unbuttoning Demyx's pants and had slipped his hand inside. It was too much for Zexion. He turned and hurried away, enraged and disgusted by what he'd witnessed. What the hell was wrong with the teachers at this school?! It was obvious that the blond junior, Demyx, hadn't been enjoying what Mister Marluxia was doing to him, so why hadn't the art teacher stopped?

"Bastard," the senior muttered, glancing back to where he knew the teacher and student were. He hoped Demyx would be okay and that Marluxia wasn't going to hurt him. Regardless, if he ever came across that sickening scene again, he wouldn't hesitate to put a stop to it.

Smoke filled the air and Roxas sat nervously on a couch, looking around. Kairi had invited him and Sora to an after-party in Kingdom, at a house that was rented out by the parents of one of her friends. He'd agreed, but he hadn't realized his classmates would be drinking and smoking. On the couch across from the one he occupied, John Ralph and John Smith sat on either side of a pretty Native American girl, sharing a pack of cigarettes. Empty cans dotted the floor and loud, vulgar music blasted from somewhere in the house.

Just as he had decided to go find Sora and go back to campus, someone all but fell onto his lap, pinning him to the couch. Startled, Roxas looked down into emerald green eyes as the person struggled to sit up.

"Sorry," the older boy murmured, pushing himself into a sitting position. He didn't, however, move away. Roxas sat perfectly still. He knew the older student from class—it was Axel, the one who'd been passing him the notes. The redhead stank of alcohol and Roxas wanted nothing more than to shove him away and go back to his room, but Axel had draped his arm across the blonde's shoulders.

"Roxas," he said, slurring the name slightly, "I know you don' like me but…damn you're cute…" Without warning, Axel kissed him, a messy, half-drunken kiss that Roxas did not enjoy at all.

"Get off!" the sophomore shouted, pushing at his chest. Axel fell back on the couch, but he managed to pull Roxas on top of him.

"Ooh, Roxy, I knew you liked me," Axel teased, nuzzling the blonde's neck. He licked.

"S-stop it!" Roxas managed to free himself from the older student's hold and stood, panting and flushed. The other students in the room were staring at him. The redhead giggled and half sat up, grinning at Roxas.

"Come on, cutie, give me another kiss," he wheedled, reaching towards Roxas, his eyes slightly unfocused.

The blond smacked his hand away. "No! I hate you! Leave me alone!" With that he ran out of the house, leaving Axel confused on the couch. He ran all the way back to campus before he slowed to a walk, panting and clutching at a cramp in his side. When he reached his room he yanked open his desk drawer, took out all the notes Axel had ever passed to him, and proceeded to tear them to shreds.

He hated the senior, hated him for making Roxas feel special, for getting him in trouble with Larxene, for doing what he'd just done.

"I don't care how nice his is to me," he said to the tattered scraps of paper, "I'm not going to forgive him."

"Axel, come on," Zexion muttered, helping the redhead stumble up the stairs to their room.

"He hates me," Axel mumbled miserably, staring at his feet.

"Yes, but drinking yourself into stupidity isn't going to fix it." He let his friend collapse in his bed then turned on the light and started changing.

Groaning, Axel rolled over and shielded his overly sensitive eyes. It had been a really bad idea to drink at that party, and now he'd made his situation with Roxas even worse. "I'm such an idiot…"

"Sometimes," the other boy half agreed, "but after having to dance with the whore all night, I don't blame you for drinking as much as you did."

"What was he even doing at the party?" Axel demanded of no one in particular. "Who would have invited him to a party like that?"

Zexion shrugged even though his friend wouldn't see it, silent as he finished his bedtime routine and settled on his mattress. After a few minutes, he heard Axel's breathing slow and deepen, and knew the tipsy senior had fallen asleep. He lay awake, trying to stop thinking about what he'd seen at the dance so he could get some rest. Finally, after nearly twenty minutes, his body began to relax and he drifted off into a restless sleep, his subconscious plaguing him with odd dreams of Mister Marluxia and that junior, Demyx. It wasn't a peaceful night for either of the boys.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter XIII (3,339)

Axel woke with a pounding headache and a bitter taste in his mouth. Ugh. He hated hangovers, but then, he didn't think anyone would enjoy them. He could hear Zexion up and moving around but didn't have the energy to force himself out of bed. The light would have been too much for his eyes, anyway.

"Get up. Your coffee awaits, Lord of the Partiers."

With a groan, Axel sat up and rubbed at his eyes, feeling the gross, gooey clumps that stuck to his eyelashes. He knew his breath probably smelled like a gas station restroom and he didn't look much better. Zexion stood before him holding out a mug of strong coffee, which Axel gratefully accepted.

"You overdid it last night."

"I'm aware." He paused, remembering the party. "Shit…did I really…?"

"Make a total ass of yourself? Yes."

Axel glared, his headache making it impossible for him to enjoy Zexion's usual sarcasm. "I meant, did I actually harass Roxas or was that just a nightmare?"

Zexion turned to him, silent, and Axel found his answer in the blue-haired senior's sympathetic expression.

Rubbing at his eyes, Axel quickly gulped down the coffee. Brilliant. He'd officially ruined any chance of even being the blond sophomore's friend and had no idea how to make up for it. Leaving the mug on the floor by his bed, the redhead stood and went to the sink to wash his face and brush his teeth. Today was a day for homework and videogames while he tried to come up with a way to adequately apologize for how he'd behaved towards the younger student. As he began to change, however, he caught a whiff of himself and decided a shower was in order if he didn't want to smell like cigarettes and booze for the rest of the day.

Zexion didn't look up as his roommate left, already focused on his Calculus homework. They had an exam coming up during the next week and he intended to know the equations better than the back of his hand. Once the door closed behind Axel, the blue-haired teen leaned back in his chair and let out a deep sigh. Guilt was distracting him from his studies, something that annoyed him greatly, but he was having a hard time pushing it to the back of his mind. He'd dreamt about it the night before and had woken up in a cold sweat—now he couldn't even focus on his schoolwork.

I should have done something. Anything. But I didn't, he thought, staring at his text book. Why hadn't he done anything? There was nothing stopping him—he easily could have stepped out of the shadows and helped…but no, it wasn't his problem What did he care if Mister Marluxia had a thing for a student? Even if the kid hadn't liked it, the pink-haired teacher would probably get bored sooner or later and leave him alone. Yes, that's what would happen. Marluxia would get bored toying with the blond junior and move on to a new source of amusement. There was nothing for Zexion to get upset about and he certainly didn't need to get mixed up in anything like that during his senior year. As long as he stayed focused on his studies and took care of his own interests then everything would work out fine. The blond student wasn't his problem.

So why did he still feel like a bastard for not doing anything?

"Come on, slow-poke, what did you do, stay out too late dancing?"

Gritting his teeth, the younger student forced his legs to move faster.

"You'll never beat me if you don't pick up your pace!"

Jump over the log, weave between the bars, climb the wall.

Keep moving. Don't slow down.

Roll through the landing, crawl under the planks, get up as fast as possible and keep running. Maintain speed on the balance beam then use it as a boost to grab the monkey bars, swing forward and grab the next bar and the next and the next, jump to cover distance, don't trip on the tires.

Careful, careful, careful! Come on, you can do this! Show him what you've got!

"I'm going to fall asleep waiting for you!"

With a final sprint, he crossed the finish line and came to a halt, panting heavily. Sweat dripped down his face and back, making his shirt stick to him. Fog hid most of the surrounding landscape, adding to the moisture that clung to his skin.

"Forty-seven seconds slower than last week," a voice sounded from behind him and just to his right.

Still trying to catch his breath, Sora put his hands behind his head and turned to face the other student. "Your taunting didn't help, Riku."

The older student smirked. "Oh, I'm sorry. Would it help if I borrowed a cheerleading uniform and chanted your name?"

Sora blushed as an image of the other boy dressed as a cheerleader appeared, unbidden, in his thoughts. "No…"

"Then stop whining and get your lazy bum in gear. You made a commitment to train. Coach Xaldin doesn't give out equipment passes lightly so prove you earned the one around your neck."

"I'm not lazy!" the brunette protested, hurt that Riku would say such a thing.

Riku lifted his chin. "Prove it." Turning, he picked up his bag and strode away, leaving Sora with no choice but to follow.

"Where are we going?" When he didn't get an answer, Sora huffed and picked up his pace in order to keep up with the taller student. Using his equipment pass as a key, Riku unlocked the doors to the gymnasium and led Sora into the equipment locker.

Obviously accustomed to the organizational pattern, he headed straight for the fencing equipment and tossed a blunted rapier at Sora. "You know how to use this?"

Sora grinned and caught the hilt with ease. "Of course."

"Then suit up, because I challenge you to a duel."

With a flick of his wrist, Sora twisted the blade through the air and bowed. "I accept your challenge."

Ten minutes later both boys were dressed in padded white uniforms and wore protective masks. They paced off and held their blades ready, each waiting for the other to make the first move. The seconds ticked by. They began to circle each other slowly, searching for a weakness. Suddenly, Riku lunged gracefully, his rapier aimed low towards Sora's left hip. Stepping to the side, the brunette dodged and swiped Riku's blade aside with his own then slid his leading foot forward and struck at Riku's shoulder, only to have Riku block and counter. Thwarted, the younger boy sprang back then forward, striking again. The duel continued, increasing in speed and ferocity the longer it lasted. Light on their feet, Sora and Riku almost seemed to be dancing, moving perfectly in time with each other, striking, blocking and parrying with an ease that reflected the hours of practice they'd put into the sport.

When at last they separated, panting from the exertion, rapiers ready, they removed the masks and faced each other, both ready to continue.

Sora grinned cheekily. "Your move, Riku." The silver-haired boy nodded, and the duel began again.

Bloodshot eyes stared back at Roxas as he looked in the mirror. He hadn't slept more than a few hours—every time he'd come close to dozing off all he could think about was the party. No matter how many times he brushed his teeth, he could still taste the alcohol that had been on Axel's breath. The air in his room was practically toxic from the amount of air freshener he'd sprayed in his attempts to cover up the memory of cigarette smoke.

Why'd he have to be drunk? He called me cute…but he was drunk, so is it really a compliment? I wish he hadn't kissed me. That was disgusting, and my first kiss, too! I hope he feels terrible about it, but even if he does I'm not letting it go. Ugh…stop thinking about it, Roxas. Stop thinking about it or you'll be sick.

He brushed his teeth again.

Momentarily free of the taste of beer, Roxas opened the medicine cabinet and stared longingly at the sleeping pills his parents had sent along with him to school. His homework was done so he could take a nap, but he didn't want to mess up his sleep cycle by sleeping through the whole day. Then again, staying up all night wasn't good either. Sighing, Roxas closed the cabinet and went to his desk. He might as well study for his upcoming exam if he wasn't going to sleep.

Taking out his text book and notes, he began looking over everything that could even possibly be on the exam. It was a perfect distraction from his memories of the night before, at least, until he came upon the notes Axel had taken for him. A strange feeling came over him as he looked at the notes. He was angry about what had happened, yes, but the spiky-haired senior couldn't be all bad if he was willing to take such meticulous notes for someone else. Could he?

"Ugh, this is too confusing," the blond muttered, leaning forward to rest his forehead on his desk. "He passed me those notes and got me in trouble, then gave me an apology letter and perfect calculus notes to make up for it. Last night he got drunk and kissed me. How does he plan on apologizing for that? I'm almost starting to think that he can't help but do things to screw himself over. If he likes me as much as he claimed to in all those notes, then why hasn't he tried just talking to me?" Roxas gave a frustrated sigh. Emotions were more confusing than calculus and advanced chemistry combined and Roxas was beginning to think that life would be much easier without them.

"Roxas, I'm sorry about last night."

No, that didn't sound sincere.

"Roxas, I'm really sorry for what I did. There's no excuse, but…" Axel sighed, staring at his reflection, and thought again about how lucky it was that Zexion had gone to the lab to do an extra credit experiment. The blue-haired senior certainly wouldn't have been any help at figuring out how to apologize to Roxas. At this rate he was going, however, Axel doubted that he'd ever come up with a suitable way to apologize. Roxas would hate him forever and Larxene would get exactly what she'd wanted all along.

Axel's grip tightened on the edge of the sink. That couldn't happen. He wouldn't let it happen. No way in hell was he going to let that whore ruin his senior year. He was going to fix things with Roxas and he wasn't going to let Larxene toy with him anymore. She'd ruined his homecoming and that had been the last straw. First thing, he had to show Roxas that he was more than just some drunk at a party, and he had a good idea of how to do it. It might not work and could easily end very badly for him, but he was still willing to try. Whatever happened, he at least had to try, and no matter what, the look on Larxene's face when he got his chance would be worth it.

Emerald eyes practically shining with mischief, Axel grinned at his reflection. "I might enjoy this more than I should."

With her hands pressed over her ears, Namine did her best to block out what her redheaded cousin was telling her. It wasn't the sort of thing she was comfortable with hearing and Kairi very well knew it, yet she continued speaking as if Namine were hanging on her every word. Finally she couldn't take it anymore.

"I don't want to know about your dirty fantasies!"

Kairi giggled, covering her face with her hands. "Sorry, sorry!" She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts as she sat on her bed and looked across the room at her blond cousin. "It was just surprising, you know? I never thought I'd dream about him." Her blue eyes took on a faraway look. "But it was amazing, Mi-Mi. The dream wasn't even dirty…we were just sitting there and he was holding me…" The redhead sighed and waved her hands. "Anyway, did you have fun at the dance with Roxas?"

Namine blushed and nodded, looking down at her freshly-painted toenails. They were bright red, a color Kairi had chosen for her, and seemed impossibly vivid against her pale skin. "Yes. I'm glad he asked me to go."

More than accustomed to her cousin's shy behaviors, Kairi waited a moment before posing her next question. "Do you like him? I mean, like him like him."

Narrow shoulders rose and fell in a shrug. "I don't know. Maybe. He's sweet and kind and fun and I really like spending time with him, but I don't know if I like him that way."

"Would you date him?"

Blushing darker, the blond girl nodded. "If he asked me. Would you?"

Kairi laughed. "Me, date Roxas? Naw, he's too quiet for me. You know that, Namine."

"I meant Sora. Do you like him or are you still convinced he's going to date Riku?"

Lowering her voice conspiratorially as if someone might be listening, Kairi leaned forward towards her blond cousin. "I have my own plans for those two. Riku's putting up a good fight, but he won't be able to hide his feelings for much longer. Not after what I've got in mind."

"What are you going to do?"

The redhead winked. "Spoilers." Namine knew that meant Kairi wasn't about to give up any of her secrets. If she cared to ask, she could probably convince the other girl to tell her, but she didn't really want to know. The less she was involved in Kairi's drama, the better. All Kairi's plans ever seemed to do was end in trouble, even the redhead wouldn't always admit it. The pool prank certainly hadn't ended well.

"At least you're done with detention," the blond said, changing the subject. She picked up a sketchbook and flipped to a blank page.

"Yeah," Kairi sighed, looking out the window. "Glad those are over. I was bored out of my mind grading all those papers." Despite her words, Namine got the feeling that Kairi hadn't disliked them as much as she claimed, but she didn't push the subject. A few minutes passed in near silence as Namine sketched and Kairi continued to stare out the window. Eventually, Kairi broke the silence.

"Come here, Ni-Ni," she said, gesturing for the blond girl to sit on the floor in front of her. Namine did so without complaint, taking her sketchbook with her, and leaned her back against the frame of Kairi's bed. Humming quietly to herself, Kairi began to braid her cousin's white-blond hair, just like she'd done when they were younger. Sighing, Namine settled back comfortably and closed her eyes.

"You haven't braided my hair in a long time, Kai."

Wrapping her arms around the blonde's slim shoulders, Kairi hugged her. "I know…a lot has changed…sometimes I still forget…"

Namine nodded, looking down at her half-finished sketch. "I miss them." Her voice wavered as she tried not to cry.

"Me, too."

Several moments passed before Kairi released her cousin and continued braiding her hair, gathering each strand meticulously as she worked her way down the back of Namine's skull. When she had just under an inch of hair left, she picked up a bit of loose ribbon from her desk and used it to tie off the braid, making a bow. Finished, she looked over the other girl's shoulder to see what she'd been drawing. Her eyes widened in surprise and her jaw dropped.

"Namine!"

The sketchbook snapped shut as the blonde's heart rate skyrocketed and she clutched the book to her chest protectively. "What?"

Too shocked to say anything, Kairi simply shook her head and pointed at the book, wordlessly demanding an explanation.

Clearly embarrassed, Namine drew her knees up to her chest and rested her forehead on them, hiding her face. "It's nothing."

"That is not nothing!" Bewilderment and surprise colored Kairi's tone, raising her voice several notes higher than normal. She couldn't believe what she'd seen. Namine—innocent, loving, carefree Namine—couldn't possibly have drawn such a thing. It wasn't possible. She simply didn't think of things like that, must less sketch them out. At least, Kairi had never suspected she did.

"Since when have you been drawing things like that?" she questioned, much calmer now.

Her face dark red, Namine got up and went back to her own side of the room. She wished Kairi hadn't looked at her drawing, but then, she shouldn't have been drawing that when someone could see. It wasn't that bad, but obviously her cousin disapproved. "N-never…it's the first one…"

That didn't surprise Kairi at all. "Well, it's good. The quality, I mean. But, Mi-Mi, why on earth would you draw that, especially after what you saw?"

"I don't know," the blond whispered, looking down at the cover of her sketchbook. "Sometimes I get an image in my head, and if I don't sketch it or paint it, then it never goes away."

"What made you picture that?"

"I was thinking about that day and it just popped into my head. I don't know why I thought of it." Namine turned pleading eyes on her cousin. "Can we talk about something else, please?"

Shrugging, Kairi moved to sit on the floor and looked through her collection of nail polish, trying to decide which color to use. She settled on metallic silver and began painting her toenails. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Anything else."

Kairi painted another toenail. "Did you hear what happened at the party last night?"

"No, what happened?"

"John Smith told me that Roxas got hit on by a senior boy who was drunk."

"Really?" Even though she wasn't one for gossip, Namine was willing to let Kairi tell the story if it meant keeping the topic away from her sketch. "Who was it? Which senior?"

"John didn't know his name, but he had really spiky red hair and super green eyes. And you know how much attention John pays to his surroundings. He doesn't miss very much, and apparently he was sitting with Pocahontas and John Ralph on the other couch. They saw the whole things. Roxas was really mad and stormed out. That's why Sora couldn't find him when we were all leaving."

That surprised her. Roxas got mad enough to storm off without telling anyone? It just didn't sound like the kind of thing the shy blond boy would do. "What exactly did the senior do to make Roxas so mad?"

A few moments went by before Kairi answered, having been too focused on painting her pinky toenail to reply. "According to John, the senior fell onto Roxas' lap and kissed him, then when Roxas tried to push him away the senior pulled him onto himself and licked his neck. Then Roxas yelled at him and ran out."

Oh. If that was what happened, Namine could definitely see Roxas getting upset. If that sort of thing had happened to her, she'd have ran all the way back to her room and hid under the blankets. "Poor Roxas. I'd be mad, too."

"No you wouldn't, Mi-Mi," the redhead teased, painting her last toenail. "You'd blush and mumble and talk your way out of it then go hide in a corner somewhere because you'd be so embarrassed that people saw."

Namine stuck her tongue out at her cousin, making the other girl giggle, then turned her attention to a sketch of a rose she'd been working on but had yet to finish. A rose, at least, she didn't have to worry about hiding from everyone else. No one would question a drawing of a flower.


	14. Chapter 14

Gale: Hey everyone! Sorry this chapter's a week late—I have bronchitis, so I haven't really had the motivation to work on it lately, plus I now have two jobs and very little free time. However, I have all weekend to work on all my projects, so I'm going to post two chapters this weekend.

Xino: You luckies! Two chapters in one weekend!

Sonshi: Great. Can we get on to the story, now? I want to see if Riku finally mans up.

Xino: I can't wait for all the couples to get together!

Gale: Guys, the chapter won't start until you stop talking, so be quiet and let the readers get to the good part. Enjoy!

It was quiet in the school as Zexion made his way towards the lab, though that wasn't surprising. Most students avoided the building on Sundays in an attempt to forget that there would be classes the next day. Zexion thought it was rather pathetic of them; he saw no problem with working in the lab on the weekend.

His footsteps echoed quietly through the abandoned halls, betraying his presence.

"Ah, there you are, Zexion," Professor Vexen said, looking up from his desk when the blue-haired senior quietly walked into the classroom-slash-laboratory. "I was beginning to wonder if you'd forgotten."

"No, Professor," Zexion replied, his tone respectful as it only was when addressing his favorite teacher. "I was studying and lost track of time, and I had to eat lunch before I came."

Nodding in approval, the blond professor gestured at Zexion's usual table. "Everything is ready. I will assist you once I have finished grading these quizzes."

"Yes, sir." Zexion set his bag on the floor and surveyed what Vexen had given him. Test tubes, vials, charts, bottles of chemicals, protective gloves, goggles and an apron were set out neatly on the table. Too experienced to overestimate his abilities, Zexion put on the goggles, gloves and apron before he even picked up the bottles to see which chemicals had been given to him.

He worked in silence for several minutes as Vexen continued to grade his papers, mixing chemicals and recording any change in temperature or color. There really was no specific goal to his experiment, other than to see what would happen when he mixed various chemicals. As Professor Vexen's unofficial lab assistant, he was responsible for planning future experiments for the younger students so Vexen didn't have to take the time. In return, he was given extra credit—though he didn't need it—and the professor had promised to write him a recommendation letter when it came to applying for universities.

"What do you have so far?" Vexen asked, walking up to the table to observe his student's work once he had finished grading the quizzes and tucked them away in his desk.

"I thought the students would like to observe the effects of dry ice on various cell types." Zexion gestured to the skin sample he had under the microscope then at the piece of dried ice he had taken out of the canister.

"CO2? On cells?" The professor took a moment to consider what the possible variations of such an experiment could be. "Yes, I think that would be all right." Zexion smiled and went back to work, pleased that his idea had been deemed a good one.

"Professor Vexen?" the senior asked after nearly half an hour had passed. His tone was almost timid, as if he wasn't sure if he should say what was on his mind.

"Yes?" Vexen glanced at him, adjusting the microscope he was using.

"Could I ask you for some advice?"

Professor Vexen straightened and turned intelligent green eyes on the senior boy. "Of course, Zexion."

Hesitating, Zexion searched for the best way to phrase his problem without giving away too much information. "If I…saw someone bothering someone else, am I obliged to do something about it, even if it doesn't affect me in any way? If it isn't my business, should I still interfere based on principle?"

His expression unreadable, Vexen studied the troubled boy before him. "Why are you asking me this, Zexion? Did you see someone bullying another student?"

"Not…bully, exactly." _More like sexually assault. _But he didn't want to say that. If he did, he'd have to tell the professor exactly what he'd seen, and that would cause trouble for Mister Marluxia and everyone would find out what was happening to the blond junior. Somehow, he got the feeling the younger student wouldn't want anyone else knowing. Zexion definitely wouldn't.

Vexen could see the internal conflict taking place in Zexion's mind. It was obvious that the student was very troubled, but if he wasn't willing to say what was bothering him, then Vexen had no intentions of trying to force it out him. "If it is upsetting you this much, Zexion, whatever it is, then do what you think is right. You're a very intelligent young man and I know you'll find the answer you're looking for, even if it doesn't seem like it."

"Thank you, Professor."

Doubtful, Zexion continued with his work. He'd been hoping for a yes or no answer, but now he realized that the situation might be a little too delicate for such a blunt response.

_What am I going to do?_ he wondered, carefully picking up the piece of dry ice with a pair of tongs and dropping it back into the canister with the rest of the pieces. _I couldn't sleep because I kept thinking about it, but it isn't my business. The kid can handle himself…if he really didn't like it, he'd report Marluxia to the headmaster. Wouldn't he? Would I? Yes, if a teacher ever tried to do that to me, I'd report him._

His gaze slid over to the professor beside him, and Zexion thought of all the hours he'd spent alone with Vexen in the lab, working together and growing to like and respect each other. If Vexen approached him sexually, what would he do?

_I don't know,_ he realized, surprising himself. What if it was the same for the junior? _Shit…now what am I going to do? _Things just kept getting more and more complicated.

Conflicted thoughts continued to race through the blue-haired senior's head as he worked, and even by the time he'd finished in the lab, cleaned up, put away the supplies and left, he still hadn't decided what to do.

_What I think is right. It isn't right for Mister Marluxia to harass the junior, but it isn't my responsibility to turn him. Is it?_ Zexion sighed, secluding himself in a corner of the library to study his Advanced Biology notes. Why had this become his problem? Was it karma? Had he done something to deserve having to deal with this? It didn't seem fair that it had to be him. He was a good student, was always on time for class, never turned in an assignment late and had nearly perfect scores in all of his classes. All he wanted to do was graduate and get into the best college possible, not have to play intervention for a kid he didn't even know.

"This isn't your job," he told his notes. "Stop thinking about it. Focus. You have work to do."

"What isn't your job, Zexion?"

Startled, the blue-haired senior jumped and looked up to see a younger girl he didn't know standing before him. "Who are you and how do you know my name?" he asked, almost rudely. Mostly he was embarrassed to have been caught talking to himself.

The girl smiled and sat down across from him at the table he had chosen. "I'm Kairi, and you're Zexion." She offered her hand, still smiling.

Confused, he slowly reached across the table and shook her hand. "Okay, Kairi. How do you know my name?"

"I recognized you from the plaque with the names of the Honor Roll students on it, and I've seen you win awards for your science projects. So, what isn't your job?"

Zexion stared. Who was this girl? "…nothing. It's nothing."

"It didn't sound like nothing. But, oh, if I'm prying, feel free to tell me it isn't my business." Kairi smiled self-patronizingly. "I'm too curious for my own good."

"It isn't your business," Zexion replied bluntly, his tone and expression making it obvious that he wanted her to go away, "and I need to get back to studying." With that, he looked back to his notes in a clear dismissal.

Shrugging, Kairi stood and adjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder. "See you around, Zexion."

The senior didn't reply and Kairi walked away, already lost in her own thoughts. It seemed like there was an unusual amount of drama going on this year at Kingdom High, what with her scheme to get Riku and Sora together and Roxas being hit on by a senior boy and Namine witnessing a teacher harassing a student. The redhead was so focused on the twin boys that she almost forgot to keep up with all her other friends, and now she'd accidentally discovered even more trouble.

"What am I going to do with these people?" she sighed quietly, leaving the library and making her way across the grounds, on her way to visit Ariel, who Namine had introduced her to the year before. "It's like I'm the only who can keep myself out of trouble." She conveniently forgot the fact that she often enjoyed the drama that surrounded her, as long as it didn't hurt anyone. Unfortunately, Namine and Roxas were both upset about their respective problems, and Kairi was determined to help in any way she could. It would be much easier to help Roxas, if she could find out who the senior was that had kissed him at the party.

Just like that, an idea so simple she was amazed she hadn't already thought of it came to her and her pace quickened as she changed direction. Her visit with Ariel was going to have to wait.

Kairi burst into her and Namine's dorm as she was finishing her text to Ariel explaining that she had research to do and would try to come over later in the day. Tossing her phone onto her bed, she went straight to her desk and opened the bottom drawer, digging through the books and magazines stored there.

"What are you looking for, Kai?" Namine asked, distracted from her homework by her cousin's hurried entrance.

"I just need to see…ah! Found it!" Triumphant, Kairi quickly settled on her bed, the school's most recent yearbook in her hands. She flipped to the page that showed photos of all of last year's juniors, blue eyes flitting from face to face, searching. "There! That's got to be him!"

"Who?" Completely lost as to what the redhead was going on about, Namine got up and sat beside the other girl. "What are you talking about?"

Kairi pointed at a photo excitedly. "Him! This must be the senior that hit on Roxas at the party!"

Curious, Namine looked at the picture Kairi was indicating. A lanky boy with bright red, spiky hair and emerald green eyes smirked back at her. His shirt wasn't buttoned up all the way and his tie was loose, a blatant refusal to follow the school's strict dress code. The blonde's attention was drawn to the name beneath the picture. "Haruki, Axel."

"Axel." Kairi tested the name, trying to think if she'd heard it before. "Weren't there rumors about a boy named Axel messing around with one of the teachers a few years ago? It was before we went here, but I think someone told me about it, once."

Namine shrugged, once again studying the picture. "I've seen him around but I've never talked to him."

"Well of course you haven't, Mi-Mi," Kairi teased, "you hardly talk to anyone, much less a guy like him."

Namine blushed at the comment. "Why were you so excited to find out his name?"

"Because I want to talk to him about what happened at the party."

"Kairi, do you think maybe you get too involved in other people's business?" the blond asked quietly. She knew Kairi meant well but sometimes she thought it would be better for the redhead to mind her own business instead of trying to solve everyone else's problems.

With a snap, Kairi shut the yearbook and set it aside, turning to her cousin with a serious expression. "Roxas is my friend, Namine, and he's upset. I want to talk to this guy Axel and figure out what really happened. Then maybe I'll be able to help Roxas put it behind him. If what John told me is true and Axel tried to force Roxas into fooling around on Adam's couch, I'm sure it would help Roxas to hear an apology."

"Well, what are you going to say to him?"

Kairi smiled and touched her nose. "Spoilers, Namine. You know better than to ask."

Rolling her eyes at her cousin's favorite line, Namine went back to her homework. She wasn't at all interested in getting caught up in Kairi's schemes, and continued working when the redhead left again.

Homecoming always took place just before midterm exams, so each of her classes had some sort of test, project or performance within the next week. This being the case, Namine was diligently reviewing her notes and filling out the study guides her teachers had been kind enough to hand out. Tests in Physical Science, History, Geometry and Grammar loomed in her future, along with a solo to perform in Band, a final project due in Art, and she and Roxas were going to have to bake something special in their Home Ec. class.

Now that she thought about it, Namine realized that she and the blond boy had yet to choose a recipe to use for the midterm grade. She decided to call him while she walked over to the fine arts building and hopefully make plans to meet him and pick something to make. Since his back had healed, Roxas' enthusiasm had skyrocketed and the blond boy was more than willing to put in extra effort outside of class, so she doubted it would be difficult to get him to agree.

Namine worked quickly to finish her study guides then put on her jacket and shoes and left the sophomore dorm hall, already dialing Roxas' number. It rang several times before he answered, sounding distracted and like he hoped it wouldn't be a long call.

"_Hello?"_

"Hey, Roxas, will you meet me out front of your hall? We need to pick a recipe for the Home Ec. midterm."

"_Oh, crap. I knew I was forgetting something. Yeah, I'll meet you. Are you doing anything else right now?"_

Zipping up her jacket with one hand against the chill breeze, the shy girl stopped at the front doors to the freshman hall. "I'm going to the fine arts building to work on my final project and practice my solo."

"_Mind if I come with you? We can pick a recipe while you paint and I'll keep studying while you practice."_

Through the phone, she could hear him moving around. "Yeah, that's fine. I'm out front, so I'll see you when you come down."

"_See you in a bit."_

The call ended with a _click_, and Namine slipped her phone into her pocket. Only a few minutes later, Roxas walked out the front doors and smiled at her, his shoulder sagging under the weight of his obviously very full backpack. Namine smiled in return and the two walked towards the fine arts building, hands in their pockets, elbows almost touching. Because Roxas wasn't familiar with the building like Namine was, she led the way to the art studio as the two chatted about what recipes they had done so far in the class.

"We could always make a fancy dessert. I heard Coach Xaldin has a sweet tooth," Namine suggested, gathering the supplies she would need to finish her painting.

Roxas looked skeptical. "Really? He certainly doesn't look like he has a sweet tooth."

Giggling, the blond girl set up her easel and sat, carefully contemplating her brushes. "What do you want to make, Roxas?"

It was quiet while the younger student thought and Namine began to paint, her hand moving smoothly over the canvas. Roxas loathed the idea of doing a typical recipe Xaldin would have seen countless times. He wanted to do something new and exciting that no one would ever expect and that would definitely get him and Namine an A.

"Something different," he said finally. "Something that isn't made around here." Suddenly, a light bulb went off in the blond boy's head and he smiled almost as widely as Sora usually did. "I know what we're going to make, Namine."

Distracted by her painting, it took Namine a few moments to react to what he had said. "What did you decide?"

"Have you ever tried sea salt ice cream?"

The blond girl made a face. Salty ice cream? Ew! "That sounds kind of gross, Roxas. No offense."

"But it isn't! It's actually really, really good. The salt brings out the sweetness of the ice cream, and it's a great color, too." Just imagining the flavor of his favorite dessert made the sophomore boy drool. He really wanted sea salt ice cream now, which meant he had to talk Namine into making it. "I promise, it's a little weird at first but after you get used to it, it's delicious. Can we please make some for our midterm?"

Namine glanced at the boy sitting beside her and sighed. He was making puppy eyes at her—his blue eyes were wide and reflected the ceiling lights while his bottom lip quivered ever so slightly, as if he might cry if she said no. Try as she might, Namine knew she wouldn't be able to resist that face. The boy was too much like an actual puppy.

"All right," she gave in, turning back to her painting as Roxas grinned.

"Great! Seriously, Namine, you'll love it. It's my favorite snack."

"If you say so, Roxas." It was clear that she doubted he was right.

Nearly two hours later, after Namine had finished her painting and put it up to dry, the two blondes made their way through the building to the practice rooms that were reserved for band students. She left him in the practice room and went to get her flute, humming to herself. When she walked into the locker room where the instruments were stored, however, she froze.

Mister Marluxia and Demyx sat side by side at the piano, their hands gliding over the keys as if that was what they had been born to do. It was a beautiful duet, one that Namine would have gladly listened to had the sight of them not instantly reminded her of what she'd seen those few weeks ago. Demyx didn't appear uncomfortable or nervous to be around their teacher, but Namine didn't want to take the chance that she might witness something even worse.

As quietly as she could, the blond girl went to her locker and took out her flute, snuck back to the exit, and fled as fast as she could the moment the door closed behind her.

The door of the practice room slammed shut and Roxas looked up, surprised to see Namine leaning against the door, her flute case and music folder clutched to her chest as she gasped for air.

"Namine, what's wrong?" he asked, concerned, pencil poised in midair and his calculus notes balanced in his lap. Slowly, the blond girl relaxed and moved away from the door, her breathing slowing as she carefully put her flute together and took out her sheet music.

She didn't answer his question and he didn't ask again, but he watched her carefully for any signs of what had made her sprint into the practice room as if the devil himself were chasing her. Once she began to play, Roxas turned back to his notes, though he found he was much more interested in listening to Namine's song than studying, and ended up putting his books away in order to pay attention to her instead. When she finished the song he smiled and clapped.

"That was perfect, Namine. You'll get an A for sure."

Blushing, the blond girl smiled shyly, looking at the floor. "Thanks, Roxas." Then she lifted the flute and played through the song again, using the notes and dynamics to block out any thoughts of her teacher and fellow music student. She didn't want to think about the things they might do together, for fear of what emotions she might feel in response. Nothing good could come from dwelling on it.

Roxas and Namine walked back to the locker room together so she could put her things away before they went to dinner. She could easily have gone by herself, but the thought that Marluxia and Demyx might still be there made her ask Roxas to accompany her, not that he minded. He complimented her musical ability all the way to the cafeteria, even going so far as to claim he would buy her album if she ever recorded one. That particular comment brought a dark blush to her cheeks.

"There you two are!" someone shouted, and the two blondes looked up to see Sora, Riku and Kairi standing outside the dining hall, waiting for them.

"Sorry we're late," Roxas apologized. "We lost track of time." The moment they were within range of each other, he and Sora linked arms, instinctively searching for the comfort of physical contact.

"That's all right." Kairi smiled, glancing at the silent silver-haired boy beside her. "We didn't mind waiting."

"Speak for yourself. I'm starving," Sora whined, holding his stomach and whimpering pitifully; Riku rolled his eyes in order to hide his amusement at the younger student's antics. "Let's go eat, already!"

"Sora, do you ever think that one day, you'll be fat and lazy from the amount of food you eat?" Roxas asked teasingly as the group of friends went inside and sat down at their usual table.

"He's already fat and lazy," Riku commented, smirking at Sora's embarrassed blush. "His times this morning were awful."

"But I kicked your butt in fencing," Sora countered, automatically defending his pride from the older boy's joke.

Riku snorted. "Did not. It was a tie, and I went easy on you."

"Boys, boys," Kairi interjected before Sora could say anything in response, holding out a hand to each of them. "You're both pretty, okay? Let's just get our food and enjoy our dinner."

Namine and Roxas laughed at the indignant looks on Riku and Sora's faces as the arguing pair slumped down in their chairs and sulked. Kairi simply smiled and stood as the two blondes followed her to get food.

Sora glanced at Riku. "You weren't really going easy on me, were you?"

The silver-haired boy didn't answer right away, turning to look straight into Sora's blue eyes first. "No, I wasn't."

His response brought a smile to Sora's face, and Riku couldn't help but smile back. It was, he realized, very easy to be happy around the brunette, and he decided it was a good thing Kairi wasn't there to see them talking, otherwise she'd have another you-should-date-him moment. He didn't think the situation would stay so relaxed if that happened.

"Come on, brat. Let's get something to eat," the older student said, standing. Still smiling, the two athletes got up and went to get food, absently bumping their elbows and shoulders together as they walked.

Gale: Well, it's a lot longer than my previous chapters. I hope no one minds.

Xino: Don't forget to review and motivate her to keep writing!

Sonshi: Flames are also welcome—we'll use them to make ramen.

Gale: Let me know what you thought and I'm totally open for suggestions! Bye!


	15. Chapter 15

Gale: Here it is!

Xino: Sorry it's late. Gale's in the middle of her own finals week at college, so she didn't have time to finish it over the weekend like she promised.

Sonshi: Actually, we should all be sleeping right now. Be glad we stayed up until 4am to finish and post this.

Gale: She's just grumpy cause she's sleep deprived. Regardless, I hope you like Chapter XV!

Xino: Gale doesn't own Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy or any of their respective characters!

**XXX**

_Monday._

Pencils scratched on paper, keys clicked on computers and pages turned. There were no other sounds. No one dared to disturb the silence that hung over the library for fear of disturbing the countless other students studying there.

Occupying a corner of the huge library were Sora, Riku, Namine, Kairi, Roxas, Jim, and Ariel. Both Kairi and Ariel wore headphones and were lip-syncing along to the songs they would be performing. Roxas poured over his calculus notes while he chewed on the end of his pencil, his book propped against Sora's legs, which were stretched over the blonde's lap as his brunette twin typed away on his laptop. Riku sat on a different couch next to Jim, a boy Sora and Roxas had met briefly during P.E., and they were both filling out study guides for their history class.

The seconds ticked away slowly as the students committed every ounce of focus they possessed to studying for their upcoming exams. Unlike regular high schools, Kingdom High's midterm exams were very similar to semester finals. Regular classes were held on Monday, while Tuesday through Friday, regular class times were replaced with exam times in order to give students more time to study and to give teachers more time to prepare and grade the exams.

Seconds turned to minutes, minutes turned to hours. Papers shuffled and books were traded in and out, but very few words were spoken.

Finally, Sora couldn't take it anymore. He had to_ do_ something; he hated just sitting there. Besides, he thought better when his feet were moving.

Setting the laptop aside, the brunette sophomore sat up and stretched with a groan, his back popping. He swung his legs off Roxas' lap—the blond didn't even blink as he lifted his book to keep it from being thrown to the floor—and stood. His body felt stiff and sluggish so he stretched more, working out all the kinks and knots that had formed in his muscles.

"Riku," he murmured, stepping over the backpacks that littered the floor and stopping in front of the silver-haired boy. "Let's go for a run. I'm going to fall asleep if I sit in here much longer."

The older boy finished the sentence he was writing then nodded, putting his things in his bag. Sora smiled, waiting as Riku stood and stretched. Quietly, they left the library together, leaving their friends to continue with their studies, and went to change into their sweats to go for a run.

Their departure was noticed but not commented on or acknowledged. Even Kairi was too busy memorizing her solo to think, once again, that she thought they'd make a great couple.

As evening drew nearer, Ariel and Jim quietly took their things and went their own ways, so that only Kairi, Namine and Roxas were left, now sharing a single couch. It wasn't until Roxas' stomach gave a loud, unhappy growl that the blond realized how hungry he was, and broke the silence.

"You guys wanna go get dinner?"

Namine looked up from the notes she was reading and smiled. "Yes, please. I'm starting to get hungry."

Kairi nodded in agreement, taking off her headphones. "I'll text Riku and Sora to meet us as the mess hall."

Within minutes the three friends had packed up their belongings and were walking to the cafeteria.

"I hope you're right about the ice cream, Roxas," Namine said at one point as they set their bags down at their usual table.

"It'll be fine," he assured her, a confident smile brightening his face.

Rubbing her temples, Kairi closed her eyes. "Let's not talk about midterms while we eat, okay? We'll never relax if we do." The two blondes nodded in agreement, and together the three friends went to get their food before the lines could get too long.

XXX

"Hurry up, Riku! They're already eating!" Sora yelled, buttoning up his shirt. They'd showered in the locker room after their run, and now Sora was nearly dressed. Riku was still in the shower.

"Yeah, yeah, keep your pants on," came the exasperated reply, and Sora rolled his eyes.

"Like I'd take my pants off for you."

Riku was suddenly glad he was still in the shower and not where Sora could see the blush that darkened his cheeks and neck. "That's more likely than me dressing up as a cheerleader for you," the teal-eyed boy countered, reminding Sora of their workout the previous day.

Now it was Sora's turn to blush. Since when had their jokes taken on such a flirtatious nature? Shaking his head, he finished dressing and put his things in his bag just as Riku shut the shower off and came up the short set of stairs, a towel wrapped around his waist. Sora almost stared.

Beads of water still glistened on the older boy's skin, and his wet hair was pushed back out of his eyes. His body was sculpted and toned, muscles clearly defined after their workout, and he held himself with a confident ease that Sora knew he'd never be able to duplicate. Completely comfortable to be in nothing but a towel, Riku went to where he'd left his bag and began to dry off with a second towel before getting dressed.

Sora's ears turned red as he focused on tying his shoes. _Oh my god, Riku's hot._ His fingers froze, halfway through the process of tying his left shoe. _What the hell? Why did I think that?_ Confused and surprised with himself, the brunette finished with his shoes then put on his jacket.

"Ready?" the other boy asked, finger combing his still-wet hair and brushing it back out of his face. He smiled slightly at the small, confused frown on Sora's face. "Something wrong?"

"No." The brunette picked up his bag and walked past Riku without looking at him. "Let's go eat; I'm starving."

"You're always hungry, brat," Riku teased, following him. He waited for a response, but didn't get one, which was strange. Was something wrong with Sora? Normally, he'd turn red and protest that he just had a high metabolism because they worked out so much, but for some reason he remained quiet. Worried but not wanting to seem nosy, the silver-haired boy didn't say anything else as the two silently walked from the gym to the mess hall. He did his best to act normal when they sat with the others and ate, even though Sora remained unusually quiet.

Towards the end of their meal, however, once they'd all finished eating and were simply talking amongst themselves, Sora seemed to shift attitudes and turned to Kairi with a determined look on his face.

"Kairi," he said, in a serious, quiet tone that was strange coming from the normally carefree boy. Silence fell over the table as each of the friends turned to look at him, including Kairi.

"Yes, Sora?" the redhead replied, blinking at him, her elbows propped on the table and her hands folded in front of her.

"Will you go out with me this weekend?"

Roxas grinned.

Namine put her hand over her mouth to hide her smile.

Riku sat silent and statue-like in his chair, eyes locked on his empty plate.

Sora didn't dare move, staring at her intently as he waited for her response, completely oblivious to his friends.

Kairi smiled and nodded. "I'd love to, Sora. That'd be great."

Relaxing, the brunette boy sat back in his chair and smiled. "Great! Cause I went into town last night after dinner and Yuffie told me I got the job. I start tomorrow, so I thought I'd use my first paycheck to take you out."

"Congratulations, Sora," Namine said quietly, smiling. "What are you going to do on the date?"

"Uh…it's a surprise," Sora replied, hoping no one would catch the hesitation in his voice. To be honest, he had no idea what he and Kairi were going to do, but he didn't want to seem unprepared even though asking her had been spur of the moment.

Riku smirked. "He doesn't know."

"I do, too! It's just a surprise!"

Choosing to interfere before a fight started, Kairi touched Sora's shoulder. "I'm sure whatever you have planned will be perfect, Sora." She smiled as he blushed. "Just let me know what time you want to leave, kay?"

Sora grinned, pleased. "Sure!"

And, just like that, the conversation resumed as normal, save for Riku. Sora spoke with his usual enthusiasm, making the others think that his previous quietness had been in preparation for getting up his nerve to ask Kairi out. Riku didn't think so.

He wanted to, but he didn't. The two boys had spent far too much time together for Riku to so easily forget the brunette's silence. Even when Sora was pouting he wasn't that quiet, and it never lasted for so long. Something else was on the boy's mind. Riku was almost hurt that his young friend didn't trust him enough to tell him what it was.

XXX

_Tuesday._

"All right, Namine, you're up."

Her flute and sheet music held tightly to her chest, Namine stood from her seat next to Ariel and went to the front of the room where a chair and music stand were ready. She carefully avoided looking at her teacher, but she knew he was smiling at her. He was always smiling at her, and it made her happy, even though she knew it shouldn't.

Fingers trembling, she set her music on the stand, ignoring the chair. "Um, I will be playing 'White Nights in Satin,' composed for flute." She tried to keep her voice steady.

"Whenever you're ready." The smile Mister Marluxia gave her then was encouraging, and she felt herself smile back shyly.

Namine lifted her flute to her lips, took a deep breath, and began to play. Instantly, the music calmed her, steadied her hands and lent strength to her lungs. Her fingers moved almost instinctively to play the notes her eyes drank in; she knew this song, had spent hours on it, and nothing was going to stop her from doing her absolute best. It was silent save for the music she created.

As the last note faded, and Namine lowered the flute, she couldn't help but smile. It was perfect.

"Nicely done, Namine," Mister Marluxia complimented as the shy girl picked up her music from the stand and returned to her seat. She mumbled a thank you.

"You're next, Demyx."

Unable to help herself, Namine looked over to where the muletted boy had been sitting and watched him walk to the front of the room, his saxophone and music ready. She wondered how he could stand being in the same room with Marluxia, after what she'd seen. Then she looked away and took out the physical science notes she'd brought with her, forcing her mind to focus on school. She wished midterms were over already.

XXX

Miss Larxene watched with cold eyes as the students filed in and took their seats. A stack of exams sat on her desk, next to extra pencils should anyone need one. She waited until silence had fallen before picking up the papers and passing them out.

"You have two hours to complete your exam," she stated as she walked between the desks, lying one test face down before each student. "Cheating will result in a zero percent grade, no exceptions. There are extra pencils at the front of the room. Calculators are allowed."

As she passed her favorite redheaded student, she let her hand brush against his arm.

"If you are unable to finish your exam in the allotted amount of time, speak to me afterwards. If you have a legitimate reason, we will schedule a time for you to finish your test."

Larxene crossed to the other side of the room, handing out the last row's tests. "However, if you are unable to finish but do not have an explanation, you will not," she all but slammed a test down on the desk of her least favorite blond to emphasize the word, "be allowed extra time."

Finished distributing the exams, Miss Larxene returned to the front of the room. "Are there any questions? None? Good. Your two hours begin now." With that, she sat at her desk and watched very closely as her students flipped over their tests and began working. There would be no cheating in her class; she would make sure of that.

XXX

_Wednesday._

During the last ten minutes before the exam, Riku was reviewing his notes in the small lounge near the science labs. He'd studied for hours already and was confident he knew the material, but that didn't stop him from glancing just to make sure he hadn't missed anything. Beside him, Sora was lounging in his own chair and staring at the ceiling.

"Shouldn't you be studying, Sora?" he asked, a little irritated at his friend's seeming indifference.

"No. Why?" came the careless response.

"So you don't get banned from sports because of low marks."

Sora sat up and grinned at the silver-haired boy. "Is that why you spend so much time on homework? You don't want to get kicked off the school's athletic team?"

"That's exactly why."

Shrugging, Sora lay back again, tucking his hands under his head. "I'm not really big on schoolwork. That's always been Roxas' thing."

"I wonder why that is." Riku's response held just a hint of sarcasm, which Sora was quick to catch onto.

"What do you mean?" he demanded, sitting up again.

"I was just thinking that since Roxas is the smarter twin, you must not see the point of trying in school."

An angry flush colored Sora's cheeks. "He isn't smarter than me!"

"Really." Tone, expression and movements calm, Riku put his notes away and stood, his bag in hand. "Then why are his grades always so much higher than yours?" He began walking away towards the classroom, forcing Sora to scramble to catch up.

"Because he likes reading and books and things."

"And you prefer to run around outside getting all sweaty to prove you're faster than everyone else."

"You make it sound like a bad thing, but that's all you do!"

"Wrong." The older student stopped and faced the brunette. "I like to read. I take notes in class and always have my homework done on time. I study. Sure, I'm an athlete, because I love sports, but I'm also a student who cares about his grades. But you, Sora, if you don't care about school like you claim, well, then you're little more than a body with no brain. Or you're lying about not caring about school, in which case, you're just stupid."

"I'm not stupid!" Sora protested as the two walked into the classroom and took their seats. "I studied for all my tests!"

"Then prove it. If you can get higher marks than me, I'll take back what I said."

"You're on."

"Quiet, you two. The test is about to begin," Vexen's stern voice said from the front of the room, preventing any further conversation. Sora turned away from Riku, determined. He was going to make Riku take back what he said if it was the last thing he did.

XXX

Zexion, unsurprisingly, was the first student to finish his exam and walk out of the computer lab. The other students wouldn't be far behind, but that didn't matter. He'd had the fastest times for every requirement, he thought, and he was confident he'd aced the test. In fact, he almost wished Professor Xigbar had made it a little more challenging for him, though he knew his classmates didn't find the test format as simple as he did. Really, what was so difficult about Professor Xigbar telling the class which program to run, and each student's computer timing how long it took for the student to complete the program?

To the blue-haired senior, the experience had been as simple as being told to tie his shoe or button up his shirt.

When Axel left the classroom, however, it was obvious he'd had a much harder time with the exam. Zexion chose to be merciful and didn't tease his friend, even though he was sorely tempted. There was no time to make Axel feel worse when there were other exams to be studied for. Zexion intended to ace them all.

XXX

_Thursday._

One by one, Kairi's classmates went to the front of the room and performed their solos. She sat in the back, patiently waiting for her name to be called. Part of her wished she could have gone earlier in the class and gotten it over with, but the rest of her didn't care when she was called up.

Finally, Mister Marluxia called her name, and the redhead stood. Straightening her shoulders, she walked to the front of the room and turned to face her classmates. Then she smiled gently and began to sing.

XXX

Axel half ran to his English IV classroom, his midterm paper tucked safely in his bag. All he had to do was turn it in, then he could go back to his room and study for his Chemistry exam. Within moments, he was striding into the classroom while taking out his printed and stapled paper. Professor Lexeaus didn't even look up when Axel laid the paper on the stack with his classmate's and left the room again. The teacher was far too busy grading the papers that had already been turned in that day. He didn't bother telling the redhead that his paper was technically ten minutes late—he didn't care one way or the other. There were too many papers to grade to bother.

XXX

"Are you sure this is right, Roxas?" Namine whispered as she put the light blue-ish green mixture in the freezer. Coach Xaldin would taste the ice cream in the morning, after it froze overnight.

"Yes, Namine, I'm sure," he replied, not for the first time. He was busy washing the dishes they'd used, and moved over when Namine joined him at the sink to help. "Stop worrying so much."

"I'm sorry; I just really want to get a good grade."

"So do I. We did everything right, okay? There's nothing to worry about."

Together they dried and put away the dishes.

"I guess you're right, Roxas," the blond girl admitted once they'd finished cleaning up and grabbed their bags.

"Of course I am. Now, let's go study for our history exam with Sora."

She nodded, and the pair left the classroom, not the first to finish but glad that they weren't the last, either.

XXX

_Friday._

It was silent as Professor Luxord handed out the exams in Kairi's history class. Her eyes followed him around the room as her thoughts wandered to what she'd done during her last detention with the stern teacher, and a small smirk appeared at the corner of her mouth. It had been much too fun to tease him.

She watched him make his way back to his desk, examining his slim physique, and couldn't help but wonder what he really looked like under his usual formal attire. When the strict teacher sat at his desk, Kairi flipped over her test and read the first question.

_1. In what year were the first cave paintings discovered?_

Kairi smiled. She knew the answer, and wrote it down quickly before moving on. The next question proved to be as easy as the first, and she quickly made her way through the first page. However, the farther she got into the test, the more difficult the questions became.

_At least I studied,_ she thought after finishing yet another question. Otherwise, I'd have no hope of passing this.

The seconds ticked by and she continued diligently, determined that this test not outsmart her.

XXX

Taking his time, Mister Marluxia slowly made his way through the room, closely examining each project that was presented to him. He asked questions such as "what inspired this" and "why did you choose this medium?" Finally, he reached his favorite art student.

"And what have you prepared, Namine?" he asked, smiling as usual.

The blond girl blushed lightly and showed him her canvas, on which was a painting of a clearing ringed by trees. On one end, the trees were full of flower buds and fresh spring leaves with light green grass. As his gaze passed over the painting, Marluxia saw the buds blossom into flowers, then drop to the ground to be replaced by dark green, summer leaves. Then those leaves turned red, orange and yellow as Autumn arrived and soon the trees were bare, the ground around them covered in their brilliant leaves. The last part of the painting showed the trees and ground covered in snow with a pale blue winter sky.

Marluxia spent several minutes examining the piece, marveling over the smooth transition between the seasons.

"It's lovely, Namine. Where did you get the idea?"

"I always walk by trees like this on my way to town, and I love how they look in all four seasons," she replied shyly, pleased that he liked her work. "Do you really like it?"

The art teacher nodded, his dark-blue-almost-purple eyes meeting Namine's crystalline blue ones. "I do. It's beautiful."

Namine's blush darkened three-fold.

Suddenly remembering himself, Marluxia smiled again then moved on to the next student and fell back into his pattern of questions and compliments. Namine had to shake herself to get rid of the feeling of the pink-haired teacher staring straight into her soul. For a moment, she was almost afraid he knew…but no, that was impossible. He couldn't know, and she was never going to tell him.

Never.

XXX

This was it. The last midterm before the weekend.

"On your marks!"

They would finally get to sleep and relax. One of the most stressful weeks of the school year would be over.

"Get set!"

Muscles tensed in anticipation, ready, waiting…

"Go!" The whistle blew, a single, shrill note, and instantly every boy in the sophomore-senior P.E. class took off in a dead sprint around the track. They had to run one mile, which Coach Xaldin was timing. This was after pushups, sit ups, and soccer scrimmages. The boys were tired, but they didn't jog the mile. They gave it their all, panting, fighting for each breath, muscles burning with exertion.

Sora and Riku quickly broke away from the pack, racing ahead, locked in a private battle. Their strides ate up the distance, matching almost perfectly, arms pumping as the wind created by their own speed whipped their hair back.

They lapped the slowest of their classmates.

When at last they finished their mile, the two stood up straight with their hands clasped behind their heads and started stretching.

Sora grinned at the other boy. "Almost had you."

"Did not, brat."

Coach Xaldin chose that moment to interrupt. "Get to the locker room and shower. You're excused."

With a whoop, Sora and Riku jogged up the hill to the gym and showered. Sora was careful to not see the other boy without his shirt on. There was no telling what sort of things his brain might come up with, especially after his runaway thought last Monday. Instead, he chose to think about his date with Kairi later that evening.

"Are you ready yet?" Riku's annoyed tone broke into Sora's imaginings of how the date would go, and the brunette realized he'd paused halfway through getting dressed. He thought it was a little strange that the older boy seemed irritated when he should be happy midterms were over, but Sora wrote it off as Riku simply being tired and didn't say anything about it.

He hurried to finish dressing. "Yeah, let's go."

They left the locker room together, Sora whistling happily despite Riku's apparent bad mood. Midterms were over and he had a date with Kairi—nothing could ruin his good mood.

**XXX**

Gale: Well, what did you think? Does it sound accurate to how a week of exams really feels?

Xino: Let us know by leaving reviews!

Sonshi: And, as always, I encourage your flames as well.

Gale: One day, Sonshi, someone is going to flame our story, and you won't think it's funny.

Sonshi: Yes I will.

Gale: *Sigh* I swear, the voices in my head are so stubborn. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and I apologize if it seems hastily written. It was also much longer than this until I cut some parts out, so I apologize if some bits are a little vague. Now, I'm off to bed for some much needed sleep. Chapter XVI coming this weekend! Toodles!


	16. Chapter 16

Gale: Here it is, as promised!

Xino: The moment you've all been waiting for! Sora and Kairi go on a date!

Sonshi: I don't understand why it's supposed to be so interesting. We all know what's going to happen.

Gale: Sonshi, hush. The readers don't know everything you know. Anyway, enjoy!

XXX

Freedom. Pure, unadulterated freedom to do whatever he wanted for the whole weekend.

_Time for a nap._ Dropping his bag on the floor, Riku removed his tie and kicked off his shoes, glad for the chance to finally relax. Like usual, he intended to spend the weekend following exams holed up in his dorm relaxing and enjoying the peace and quiet. With a sigh, he climbed up into his bed and burrowed into the mountain of pillows and blankets that turned his bed into something that greatly resembled a nest.

All he wanted was to sleep, but half-formed thoughts continued to plague the silver-haired boy, keeping him from completely relaxing.

He didn't want Sora and Kairi to go on a date. Even though he would never admit it, he very strongly disliked the idea of his two friends dating. It wasn't even because he was jealous—because he mostly defiantly was not jealous—it was because he knew Kairi didn't like Sora that way.

Grumbling to himself, Riku pulled the blankets over his head in an attempt to block out the thoughts. It didn't work, and he found himself wondering why Kairi had said yes in the first place. She was still trying to get Riku to admit he liked Sora, and he was still insisting that he didn't. Every time he was alone with her, the redhead brought it up. They couldn't even work on homework in the same room without her making a comment. So why did she say yes?

There had to be a reason. He knew Kairi too well to believe she'd said yes because the date would be fun. That girl always had an ulterior motive, but what was it this time?

_Is she…trying to make me jealous?_ The thought actually made him laugh out loud. There was no way she would actually try that. That couldn't be it. Kairi wasn't desperate enough to make him admit his feelings to manipulate Sora, at least, he didn't think she was. Regardless of the reason, Kairi was going on a date with Sora, and Riku was definitely not pleased about it. Not one little bit.

XXX

"Just clean the window display and you can go home, Sora!" Yuffie's cheerful voice drifted from the back of the store. Eager to be done, Sora finished arranging a collection of decorative daggers then grabbed a rag and dusting spray from the cupboard. The window display was a pain to clean because he had to be careful not to knock anything over, but after a week of working for Yuffie, it only took him another fifteen minutes to dust it and put his cleaning supplies away. Through the window he could see the sun setting and it only served to make him more determined to finish and clock out for the day.

"I'm all finished, Yuffie!" he called, putting on his jacket and writing down the time on his hours sheet. "I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Have a good night, Sora! Don't forget your paycheck!"

His jacket zipped up tight, Sora grabbed the envelope holding his first paycheck and walked out of the store into the chilly evening breeze with a grin on his face. It was going to be a good night. He refused to let it be anything less than good and was going to do everything he could to make it great.

When Sora made it back to the dorm, his cheeks tinged pink from the cold wind, Roxas was lying in bed reading. They barely had time to exchange greetings before Sora was gone again, towel and shower caddy in hand as he headed off to the bathroom. Less than ten minutes later he was back in his room, having quickly and rinsed himself of any dust or dirt, and was combing out his thick brown hair. The clothes Roxas had helped him pick out sat ready on his bed, and he wasted no time in getting dressed. After wearing his school uniform of slacks, dress shirt and tie for so long, the jeans and t-shirt were strange and unfamiliar against his skin.

Posing, Sora turned to Roxas. "How do I look?"

The blond boy considered his twin for a moment before grinning and nodding. "You look great, Sora." Relieved, Sora smiled and relaxed, looking around to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything. Once he'd convinced himself that he had everything, he put on his coat and left, waving goodbye to Roxas with a nervous yet excited smile.

A breeze tugged at his coat and chilled his still-damp hair as he crossed campus to the sophomore dorm where Kairi stood waiting for him, a hat pulled down over her ears and a coat buttoned from her knees to her chin. Sora smiled and offered his arm, which she took, and the two started down the sidewalk towards the edge of campus.

"I'm sorry it's so cold," Sora apologized, worried that she might be upset. "But the restaurant will be warm."

Kairi smiled sweetly, blue eyes twinkling. "It's okay, Sora. I'm just glad to go out with you." She slipped her hand into his, squeezing gently, and Sora blushed, pleased with her response.

"I'm glad you said yes."

And together the pair left the grounds, on their way to town to enjoy an evening out.

From his window, feeling more like a stalker than he liked, Riku watched them leave with narrowed eyes. What the hell was Kairi doing? If she was so convinced that he had a crush on the kid—which he did not—then why was she going out on a date with him? These exact thoughts had kept him from taking his nap a few hours earlier, so he'd decided to wear himself out in order to finally get to sleep.

Turning away from the window and going back to his lofted bed, Riku continued the pull-ups he'd been doing before receiving Kairi's text. As he lifted himself off the floor, he realized that her plan was exactly what he'd suspected earlier. She wanted to make him jealous.

"Little flirt," he grunted, continuing his workout. His phone sat on his desk, still displaying the message she'd sent him.

_Don't you wish you were me? Look out your window ;)_

So he'd looked out the window just in time to see her leave with Sora. Even from a distance, he could see that they were holding hands.

Riku finished his pull-ups and dropped to the floor, stretching his arms. If Kairi thought she could make him jealous and get him to confess his feelings for Sora, then she was dead wrong. He wasn't about to confess feelings that didn't exist.

"I don't like him," Riku told himself, not for the first time. "He's a friend and that's it. I don't like him."

It wasn't that there was anything wrong with Sora—Riku actually enjoyed being around him and thought the younger student was a great friend—but he wasn't interested in liking anyone. He was much too busy with his schoolwork and sports to worry about liking someone, especially since he needed to keep his grades and stats up in order to get into a good college based on something other than his parents' money. Riku was tired of being just another rich kid to the rest of the world. He was an athlete and a damn good one at that—he wanted to be known for his abilities, not his parents' wealth. If he could get an athletic scholarship to a big name school, then he'd finally be his own person in the world, not just at Kingdom High.

Dropping to the floor, Riku began a set of push-ups, keeping his breathing in time with the motion of his arms. He wasn't going to let Kairi and her silly schemes get in the way of his goals.

XXX

Roxas watched in fascination as Namine's pale hand curved across the paper, a thin, dark line tracing the path of her pencil. He'd been watching her draw for the last ten minutes and he was still just as intrigued as when she'd first opened her sketch book. She wouldn't tell him what she was drawing and kept most of the picture covered with her free hand, but he found himself watching all the same. Every line made him more curious about what the picture would turn out to be, but he refrained from asking. She would show him when she was ready and until then he would wait in silent anticipation.

Her narrow shoulders rose and fell as she breathed, sitting beside him, her white-blond hair brushing against his arm. His homework lay forgotten by his feet. They sat in near silence, listening to their breathing and the sound of Namine's pencil on paper. Outside the wind grew stronger, starting to whistle and howl; Namine leaned on Roxas' shoulder, still drawing.

The blond boy waited for butterflies to erupt in his stomach or something, but nothing happened. He didn't feel anything other than a companionable warmth, even with the tiny girl so close to him and sitting on his bed no less. As he attempted to discover what that meant, Namine set down her pencil.

"Hey, Roxas?"

"Yeah?" Roxas turned to look at Namine just as she looked at him, an action which caused their noses to brush and their lips to press together. For a moment they both froze, shocked, then Roxas pulled away and sat up, his cheeks flaming. Namine looked down at her sketchbook, a dark blush coloring what little of her face was visible behind her hair.

"I-I'm sorry," Roxas stammered, more embarrassed than he'd ever thought was humanly possible. Could he die of embarrassment? He almost wished he could, and Namine looked like she felt similarly.

"It's okay," she mumbled quietly, fiddling with her pencil. Had that really just happened?! Things like that only happened in movies and books, not real life, and definitely not to her. She'd just kissed Roxas. On accident, sure, but it still counted. But where were the sparks she'd read about, the jittery excitement, the attraction? She had to like Roxas…he was perfect…so why didn't she feel anything other than embarrassed?

Awkward, Roxas picked up his homework and climbed down from his loft to sit at his desk and work. He felt bad about kissing Namine when she hadn't wanted him to.

It was silent as the two embarrassed teens did their best to pretend nothing had happened. Several minutes later Namine held up her sketchbook to survey her work and was surprised at what she had drawn. What had started out as a sketch of a character in a movie she couldn't remember the title of had turned into a rather detailed portrait of Mister Marluxia. It didn't surprise her as much as it maybe should have.

Namine didn't voice her thoughts out loud, choosing simply to turn the page and begin a new sketch. It wasn't the first time she'd drawn the teacher, but that didn't mean she was any less confused by it. She'd seen him doing less-than-admirable things, yet he appeared in her artwork more often than anyone else she knew.

He's a bad man, she told herself sternly, sketching a bird she'd seen outside the office building earlier that day. Stop thinking about him.

But she couldn't, even though she tried, she couldn't get the young teacher out of her head.

XXX

With relief, Sora and Kairi escaped the cold into the warm restaurant.

"Phew! Is it always this cold out so early in the year?" the brunette asked, rubbing his hands together to warm them. He wished he'd brought gloves along.

Kairi took off her hat and shook out her hair. "Not usually, but it's supposed to be a really cold, snowy winter."

"Cool! We can have snowball fights!"

Smiling, the redhead tugged on one of the boy's spikes playfully. "Always seeing the bright side of things, huh, Sora?"

"You bet! Now, let's see if this place measures up to its reputation." Taking her hand, Sora led Kairi to the front desk. A pretty woman with chin-length brown hair smiled at them in welcome.

"Hello, and welcome to King's Catch! My name is Yuna, what can I do for you this evening?"

Sora smiled back. "Table for two, please!"

"Right this way." Grabbing two menus, Yuna led Sora and Kairi to a small table set up next to a window overlooking the restaurant's outdoor seating, giving them a view of the garden.

In an attempt to play the gentleman, Sora pulled out Kairi's chair for her, and pushed it in when she sat before taking his own seat. Yuna handed them their menus.

"Your waiter will be here shortly. If you need anything, he will be more than happy to accommodate you."

"Thank you," Kairi said politely, twinkling up at the waitress. The woman smiled, nodded, and walked away.

Sora looked around in interest. "Fancy place. Have you ever eaten here before?"

Yes, Kairi had in fact eaten at King's Catch many times. However, she wasn't about to tell Sora that, because then he'd want to know why she'd been there, and she didn't want to tell him that it had almost always been on a date. She worried that he would feel like he had to outdo the boys she'd been with there previously, and she didn't want him to feel like it was somehow a competition.

"A few times, just to change things up a bit."

Satisfied with her answer, Sora began inspecting his menu. It was a seafood restaurant, so needless to say, his options were fairly limited. That didn't mean there weren't plenty of dishes to choose from, but Sora usually preferred burgers or pizza over fish. As he was contemplating his options, a tall man with choppy blond hair and suntanned skin walked up to their table, carrying a small notepad and pen and wearing a plain white apron.

"How are we doing tonight?" he asked in a friendly tone, smiling down at the two teens.

"Great!" Sora replied enthusiastically, making Kairi smother a giggle.

The man chuckled. "I'm glad to hear that. My name is Tidus and I will be your waiter this evening. Can I get you anything to drink while you decide what you would like for dinner?"

"Just water, please," Kairi told him, and he quickly wrote it down then turned to Sora, who was checking the menu to see what drinks were available.

"I'll have chocolate milk."

Tidus nodded and wrote it down. "I'll have those right out to you." Smiling again, he turned and went back the way he came.

Kairi settled in her chair and smiled across the table at Sora. "What are you going to get?"

"Um, I think the lemon shrimp. You?"

"Crab legs. They're delicious."

The look on Sora's face was horrified. "You're getting _what?_"

Giggling, Kairi tucked a few stray bits of hair behind her ear. "You know, crab legs. They boil the crab and arrange it on a plate, then you use these nut-cracker things to break open the shell, and you pull the meat out to eat it. They give you butter to dip it in, too."

Her explanation did little to settle Sora's mind. He didn't know if he'd be able to handle watching her crack open a crab's shell and eat its insides. The whole process sounded like a horror film. But he didn't want to criticize Kairi's taste in seafood, so just smiled and nodded as if he understood.

"I am curious, Sora," the redhead began, resting her elbows on the table and folding her hands under her chin as she leaned forward, "as to what made you decide to ask me out."

A light blush colored the sophomore boy's cheeks. What was he supposed to say? He'd asked her spur of the moment with no planning or previous desire to do so. He liked Kairi, she was fun to flirt with and he was glad she'd said yes, but he didn't want to be her boyfriend. "I just thought it would be fun to go out. After the craziness of midterms, I really wanted to get away from the school and do something different."

Kairi hid her relief that she wasn't going to have to explain to the younger boy that she didn't like-like him. "I see." At that moment, Tidus arrived with their drinks and took their orders before once again disappearing into the depths of the restaurant, and a comfortable silence fell over the small table. Sora took a large gulp of his chocolate milk, getting it all over his upper, lip, and Kairi giggled before using her napkin to clean it off.

Sora blushed. "Thanks."

"No problem." She set her napkin down and smiled at him, twinkling. "So, Sora, if you don't mind me asking, is there anyone special you've got your eye on?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do you like anyone? Enough to seriously date them, I mean."

Immediately, Sora remembered when he'd seen Riku coming out of the shower in a towel, and felt his cheeks getting warm. "N-no, no one."

"Aw, come on, Sora, you can tell me," she wheedled, but he shook his head, refusing to say anything more on the subject. Not wanting to ruin their friend-date, Kairi chose not to push the issue and picked a new topic.

"So are you looking forward to the Masquerade?"

Sora blinked. "Masquerade?"

"The Masquerade Ball on Halloween? You mean you don't know about it?"

He shook his head. He hadn't heard a single thing about a masquerade ball to celebrate Halloween. Kairi was quick to remedy the situation and enthusiastically told him about the different costumes people wore and the decorations and the music and the buffet table, her list went on and on. The more she talked, the more interested and excited Sora became. It sounded like a lot of fun, and he was sure Roxas would want to go, too.

"Well, what are you going as this year, Kairi?"

Smiling, drew her fingers over her mouth as if she were zipping it shut. "Spoilers. You'll just have to wait and see." Sora pouted at that, making her giggle.

They continued talking about the masquerade as Tidus brought their meals, their conversation moving onto how they felt they'd done on their finals, fall break that was in November, and eventually having to decide what they would do over winter break.

When at last it was time to leave and go back to campus, Sora was proud to be able to pay for their meals with part of his paycheck, and the two friends held hands the entire walk back.

"Thanks for taking me out, Sora. I had a really great time."

"Yeah, me too."

They stood at the door to the sophomore dorm hall, Kairi's hand still firmly held in Sora's. He mustered up the courage and leaned over to kiss her on the cheek; she blushed lightly, smiling at him.

"Have a good night, Kairi."

"Night, Sora." With a wave, she stepped inside and disappeared down the hall. Sora counted to ten before letting out a whoop of triumph and leaping into the air. He'd done it! He'd asked a girl out on a date and that date had gone well! And it hadn't even taken that much of his paycheck to do it. Whistling, the brunette boy made his way over to the freshman hall and up to his room. He was so focused on his victory that he almost didn't notice Namine as she passed him going in the opposite direction.

"Hey, Namine, how are you?" he asked, grinning that infectious grin of his. She smiled a little more shyly than normal.

"I'm okay. Good night, Sora." She continued on her way down the hall, hugging her sketchbook to her chest.

"See you tomorrow," he called after her before walking the rest of the way to his and Roxas' dorm. A wave of awkward washed over him the moment he entered. "Whoa, what happened in here? I feel like I just walked in on someone getting dressed."

Roxas just stared at him from his desk, his eyes telling more than words ever could.

"Dude, are you okay?" Sora shrugged out of his jacket and sat on his bed, watching his twin worriedly. He'd never seen Roxas look like that before.

Slowly, Roxas shook his head. He most definitely wasn't okay. He had—accidentally—kissed Namine, something he'd wanted to try, but felt nothing. Namine was the closest thing to a crush Roxas had ever had—why hadn't he enjoyed kissing her? Or was he too embarrassed to really experience the kiss?

"Roxas, you're scaring me. Say something."

It took him several moments to come up with the words. "Namine…and I…"

Sora grinned. "You and Namine, what?"

"Kissed…"

Almost instantaneously Sora was on his feet, hugging his twin in misplaced congratulations. "Way to go, Rox!"

Embarrassed all over again, Roxas pulled free of Sora's embrace, shaking his head. "Not good. Not good, Sora. It was an accident and…I didn't feel anything…why didn't I feel anything?"

Confusion replaced Sora's excitement. "What do you mean you didn't feel anything? Don't you like Namine? How did you kiss her on accident?"

In as few words as possible, Roxas proceeded to describe what had happened to Sora as the brunette sat and listened in sympathetic silence. When he finished, Sora stood and patted his shoulder.

"Tough break, Rox. I guess that means you don't like Namine, not like that. Just in case, though, maybe you should give it another try. You never know—maybe you were both too surprised to even notice if you liked it or not." His advice given, Sora changed into his pajamas and proceeded to get ready for bed, his good mood diminished but not destroyed by his twin's dilemma.

He felt sorry for Roxas, but at the same time, he wasn't really worried. He and Kairi had gone on a date and neither of them wanted to have a relationship with the other, so he figured as long as Roxas kept calm then he wouldn't have to worry about things being awkward around the blond girl.

Roxas sighed. "Yeah, maybe you're right." Following Sora's cue, he changed and got into bed, huddling under his blankets in order to shield himself from the aura of embarrassment that still permeated the room. He hoped it wouldn't still feel like that when he woke up, and that he would get a chance to get things back to normal with Namine soon.

"Good night, Roxas."

"Night, Sora."

The light clicked off.

XXX

Gale: All right, I'm ready to hear/read what you think!

Xino: Leave lots of reviews for us! We really like them!

Sonshi: Yeah. What they said.

Xino: Sonshi, you're just jealous because you like Riku!

Sonshi: I do not! Shut up!

Gale: Oh geeze, there she goes storming off again. We'll just let her calm down for a bit. I hope you liked it!


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter XVII

One by one, the other students left the room, chatting happily amongst themselves.

_They don't have a care in the world._ It was a bitter, spiteful thought, and he was instantly ashamed for thinking it. He shouldn't be angry at others for being happy. Still, he couldn't help but think how unfair it was as he stood in the now-empty room, wanting desperately to be anywhere else. The room that used to be his sanctuary had become a prison, and he hated having to be there any longer than absolutely necessary. Especially by himself.

"Demyx, thank you for waiting," a warm voice said, and the blond junior tensed.

_Scratch that,_ he thought. _I'd rather be alone._

"No problem," Demyx lied, forcing a shy smile as he turned to face his teacher. "What did you need to talk to me about, Mister Marluxia?"

Slender fingers reached out and caressed the junior's smooth cheek as the pink-haired man smiled affectionately back at him. "I just wanted to let you know how much I miss our lessons. I really enjoy spending time with you, Demyx." Betraying their strength, the delicate-looking fingers gripped the boy's chin and tilted his face up to meet Mister Marluxia's in a chaste kiss.

A light blush colored Demyx's cheeks and he held perfectly still, not wanting to aggravate the teacher currently kissing him. After what seemed like an eternity, Mister Marluxia pulled away, his fingers releasing Demyx's chin, and instead brushed them through the junior's soft blond hair.

"I hope you aren't mad at me for what happened at the dance, Demyx," the teacher murmured, his face mere inches from his student's, an apologetic smile curving his lips. "You just looked so handsome. I couldn't help myself." He kissed the boy again, more fully this time.

Drawing away, Demyx lowered his eyes to the floor. "I-I have to go to computers class, Mister Marluxia. Professor Xigbar will be wondering where I am."

The pink-haired teacher smiled again and stepped back. "Of course, Demyx. Just tell the professor I needed to speak to you about the fall auditions. You may go."

Demyx nodded and left, trying not to seem like he wanted to run, even though that was all he wanted to do. Run, run as fast as he could until he reached a place where Mister Marluxia would never find him, never kiss him, again. To his horror, the blond junior felt tears prick at his eyes and quickly wiped them away. He refused to waste tears on that bastard teacher.

Thankfully, Professor Xigbar hadn't started class yet when he arrived at the computer lab, and Demyx hurried to his seat. He didn't want to sit through classes for the rest of the day. It would be so much easier to tell the nurse he was sick and go back to his room, but he didn't want to lie, and he definitely didn't want to have to play catch up with his homework. No, the best option was to stick it out. Later, after classes, he could shut himself away in the library and pour his heart out into his journal, but for now he had to pretend nothing was wrong.

He was getting very good at pretending.

XXX

Tie carelessly tossed over his shoulder, Sora rushed down the hall with Roxas in tow, dragging the blond boy along by his shirt sleeve.

"Sora! Slow down!" Roxas panted, having to run to keep up with his twin and avoid having his sleeve ripped off or tripping. Something told him Sora wasn't going to stop if he fell.

The brunette didn't reply or even show that he'd heard the other boy. He continued his headlong dash down the hall, dodging students, bags and doors as he went. In his hurry, he threw open the door to the locker room so hard it banged against the wall and almost hit the back of Roxas' head as it swung closed behind the two boys.

"Riku!"

With his shirt halfway off over his head, the silver-haired sophomore stopped what he was doing and turned to face the twin boys. "What?"

Ignoring the fact that the older student was in the middle of changing for P.E., Sora pulled a sheet of paper out of his bag and marched up to him. Before he could say anything, however, Riku turned back his locker and continued stripping as if Sora wasn't even there. Sora waited impatiently, averting his eyes so as not to be caught admiring the other's well-toned body; he tried not to act nervous about being so close to the almost-naked athlete.

"Sora, we need to change," Roxas reminded him quietly, going over to his own locker. "Come on."

"But I have to talk to Riku!" the brunette protested, remaining where he was.

"Go change," the older boy's low tone commanded. "We can talk after class." He didn't look up from tying his shoes.

Sora's bottom lip poked out in a pout and he crossed his arms, a tiny frown creasing his forehead. He didn't want to have to wait until after class. He'd already been waiting most of the day to have a chance to talk to the older student.

With a sigh, Riku faced the younger boy and rubbed at the wrinkles in his forehead with a finger as if he could erase them with a simple touch. "Knock it off, brat. We'll talk after class. Promise."

A smile replaced the pout and the brunette boy nodded happily before joining Roxas and changing for class. Riku watched him for a moment then continued to dress, ignoring the looks he was getting from a few of the other boys, including the two Johns. Riku's classmates were accustomed to his and Sora's bantering and competing, but that had been something new. The two Johns exchanged glances but didn't say anything; they knew better than to get on Riku's bad side, especially right before P.E.

Moving as a group, the sophomore and senior boys left the locker room and went to the gym just like they'd done Monday and Tuesday. Soccer was over; now Coach Xaldin had them playing basketball.

From his place at the top of the bleachers, the dreadlocked coach blew his whistle and shouted instructions. "Four laps warm up! Riku and Sora, you lead stretches!"

"Yes, sir!" The two rivals called back at the same time, earning a nod from their coach.

"Axel, if I catch you lollygagging again you'll have ten walls at the end of class!"

"You got it, Coach," came the lazy reply.

From his place by Sora, Roxas snuck a glance at the older student. He'd had no direct contact with the redheaded senior since the homecoming after-party, not that he was about to complain.

Coach Xaldin blew his whistle again and the boys began their laps at a quick jog, immediately falling into the usual pattern of leaders and stragglers. To no one's surprise, Riku and Sora were at the front of the group.

The brunette glanced at his friend after their first lap. "How'd you do on your midterms, Riku?"

"Well enough."

A grin lifted the corners of Sora's mouth. "What do I get when I beat you?"

The silver-haired boy scoffed. Sora had never beaten him at anything. "Beat me at what?"

They finished their second lap.

"You know, you told me to prove I'm as smart as you and Roxas. If I got higher marks on my midterms, what do I get?"

"If you got higher marks than me—and I really doubt you did—then I'll take back what I said about Roxas being the smart twin and you being stupid."

Sora spent the third lap pondering the other boy's words. "That's it?" he asked as they began their fourth and final lap.

"What else would I do?" Riku questioned, giving the younger student an exasperated look.

The brunette grinned. "I'll come up with something."

"You do that."

Waiting at the front of the gym, Coach Xaldin blew his whistle again once all the boys were finished with the four laps. He nodded at Sora and Riku, his favorite students, and the two boys began counting out loud to ten in slow, measured beats as they performed each stretch. Their classmates counted with them, following their leaders through the various stretches and agilities they did every day at the beginning of class. When they finished, Sora and Riku joined the other boys and waited for further instructions from their coach.

"All right, boys, today we're working on your shooting form. Split up five boys to a hoop with as evenly distributed age and ability as you can. Take turns shooting in a clockwise rotation. The points to shoot from are marked out and numbered in order. Once you make ten shots, move onto the next point. If you miss a shot, you run a lap. Go," Coach Xaldin commanded, and the boys hurried to obey.

His enthusiasm blunted because he wouldn't be at the same hoop as Riku or Roxas, Sora paired up with two seniors and two other sophomores. A basketball was thrown to him, and he caught it easily, set his feet, and took his shot. With a quiet swish, the ball passed through the hoop without touching it and fell through the net. Perfect shot. Smiling at his success, Sora retrieved his ball and went to the back of the line as his four group mates took their turns. One of the seniors missed and had to run a lap, as did the other two sophomores. Sora stepped up and took his second shot, this time hitting it off the backboard before it fell through the hoop. His group mates weren't at all surprised, but they didn't realize Sora was only half-focused on what he was doing. Shooting hoops was all muscle memory for the young sophomore and Sora's thoughts were focused on what he considered to be a much more challenging task.

What would be his prize if he got higher marks than Riku?

_Smack!_

"Ouch! Blast it, John! Knock it off before I keelhaul you!"

Laughing, John Smith twirled the wet towel in his hands and whipped it at John Rolfe's boxer-clad rear end for the third time. Unfortunately for him, Rolfe saw it coming and grabbed the end of the towel before it could hit him, yanking it from Smith's hands.

"Come here, you!" he shouted, chasing Smith around and snapping the towel at his heels. The others boys, including Sora, watched and laughed as the Johns race around locker room. Seemingly unaffected, Riku ignored the commotion and finished dressing, then gathered his things and quickly left the locker room.

"Hey, Riku, wait up!" a familiar voice called after him, and Riku groaned internally.

"What?"

Smiling his usual contagious smile, Sora caught up to the older boy, still straightening his hastily put on shirt. "I figured out what the prize is for getting higher marks!"

"Okay, what's the prize?"

"Slave-for-a-Day!"

Riku stared at the younger boy, not sure if he'd heard right. "…what?"

"Slave-for-a-day," Sora repeated, a little impatient but still enthusiastic. "If I got higher marks, then you have to do whatever I want for a whole day. If you got higher marks, I have to do whatever you want for a whole day."

Dropping his gaze, Riku tried to ignore the countless possibilities raging through his brain. "Yeah, I heard you." He paused, considering the consequences of such a deal. "All right, Slave-for-a-Day it is, but I'm not dressing up as a cheerleader."

Sora nodded, hoping desperately that he wasn't blushing at the image. "Cumulative grade, then, not individual classes." He took his grade sheet out of his bag and held it to his chest as Riku retrieved his own. At the same time, they held their papers out for the other to see.

"Oh no!" Sora wailed. "You got a ninety-four?!"

Shrugging, Riku tucked his paper back into his bag. "You lose."

"By one point! Aw man!" Mourning the loss of twenty-four hours of his free time, Sora dropped his wide open bag on the floor, effectively spilling his books and papers all over the hallway, and fell to his knees. He had lost, lost by one god-forsaken point, and had to be Riku's slave for an entire day! "This sucks…"

Riku patted the younger boy's head patronizingly. "Don't worry about it, Sora."

Hopeful, the brunette looked up at his friend with fake tears shining in his clear blue eyes. Was Riku letting him off the hook? "Really?"

"It won't suck that bad." He grinned at Sora's pout. "I'll only make you dress as a maid for part of the day."

With a pitiful moan, Sora slumped forward onto the floor and buried his face in his arms. "You're horrible…"

Amused, Riku simply shook his head at the younger student's antics. The sound of the locker room door opening caught his attention a moment later, and he looked up from the distraught boy to see who was coming.

"Sora, why are you lying on the floor?"

"Go away, Roxas. Let me die in peace," the brunette moaned dramatically without moving.

Confused, the blond sophomore turned to Riku with a quizzical expression, clearly wanting an explanation for why his twin was sprawled on the floor in the middle of the hallway.

"Sora's having a moment. Just let him be."

"I am not having a moment!" the brunette yelled, though his words were muffled due to the fact that he hadn't lifted his face out of his arms. "Riku's being mean to me!"

Roxas' expression turned from confused to disapproving, and the silver-haired boy was quick to defend himself.

"I didn't do anything," he protested.

"Not you," Roxas sighed. "Him. Quit being a drama queen, Sora."

Riku laughed as Sora rolled onto his back and pouted up at his brother and friend. "I'm not being a drama anything."

"Yes, you are," Riku countered, then smiled at the blond twin. "What was your midterm grade, Roxas?"

"Oh, um, ninety-seven."

"What?!"

Startled by his twin's sudden outburst, Roxas took a step back, tripped over one of Sora's spilled textbooks, and fell hard on his backside. "Ow! Sora! Why the heck are you yelling?" He looked up to see Riku extending a hand to help him up, and gratefully accepted. Once he was on his feet, Riku let go of him and rather roughly dragged Sora upright.

"You got a ninety-seven for first quarter?" Sora asked in disbelief as he began gathering up his things.

"Yeah, so?"

Sighing, the brunette finished repacking his bag then straightened. "Never mind. Riku, you coming over tonight? We're going to play videogames."

"No. I'm busy tonight."

Sora did his best to hide his disappointment at the older boy's quick refusal and slipped his hand into Roxas'. "Oh, okay. We'll see you later, then." He gave Riku a weak smile before walking away with his blond twin

Roxas waited until they were halfway across the school's courtyard before pulling the other boy to a stop and wrapping his arms around his waist, hugging him close.

"You okay?" he asked quietly, knowing very well that something was wrong with his brother. Relaxing, Sora hugged his twin around the shoulders and nuzzled into his neck, comforted by the warmth of the blonde's embrace.

"Yeah," he whispered, absently playing with a bit of Roxas' blond hair. "I'm fine."

"Want to talk about it?"

Sora hugged his brother tighter for a moment before pulling away and smiling as brightly as he could manage. "Naw, it's our Brother Bonding Night, so let's go have fun."

Nodding, Roxas took Sora's hand again and the two walked back to their dorm, eagerly looking forward to a night full of movies, video games and junk food.

XXX

"Where are you going?"

Zexion paused halfway out the door and looked back at his roommate. "The library."

"Again?" Axel took off his headphones and half sat up to look at the blue-haired senior from where he lounged on his bed.

"Yes. I'm studying."

Taking the other's defensive tone as a warning, Axel shrugged and lay back down. Obviously the other boy felt like his privacy was being intruded upon. "Kay. Have fun."

With a nod, Zexion left and quickly made his way to the library. The campus was full of students headed back to their dorms after classes, none of whom he acknowledged; they weren't worth his time. Upon reaching the mostly empty library, he forwent his usual solitary desk in the back and sat instead where he could see but not be seen. In silence, he waited.

Only a few minutes later, a student with a spiky blond mullet appeared and sat directly in Zexion's line of sight. Content, the blue-haired senior relaxed in his chair and began working on his homework, though he had a difficult time focusing his thoughts on school.

_This is stupid. He's in the library where there are other students. I don't need to keep an eye on him._

_There were other students at the homecoming dance, too, and he wasn't safe there._

_Marluxia led him off where no one would see. He won't do anything to the kid in the library._

_But I want to make sure he's safe. I didn't do anything then—I'll do something next time. Even if I have to be the kid's stalker to be there in order to stop it._

Sighing in frustration with himself, Zexion glanced up to check on the younger student. From his desk, he could see that Demyx was writing something down in a notebook. At first, the senior assumed it was homework, but he quickly realized it was something else. The junior's face was screwed up like he was in pain, and even from a distance Zexion could see that his shoulders were shaking.

What was the kid doing?

_Snap._

The sound made Zexion sit up in his chair and look closely at the junior. Demyx's face was shocked as he stared at his broken pencil, snapped in half by the force of his grip. With a quiet sigh, he set the pieces down and retrieved an unbroken pencil from his backpack, then continued writing.

Zexion relaxed. There was no reason for him to get so worked up about a broken pencil. Still, he wondered what had upset the junior so much, and decided to continue keeping a close eye on him. It didn't matter that his efforts could turn out to be a waste of time At least he could sleep at night knowing he was doing what he could.

XXX

"Fatality!" sounded the deep male voice, announcing the death of Roxas' fighter as Sora shouted his triumph.

"That's four out of five for me!" the brunette stated smugly, grinning at his blond twin.

Roxas sighed, setting down his controller. "Yeah, yeah. You're the Game King." He glanced at the clock on his desk. "Wow, I didn't realize how late it is. They should be here soon."

As if on cue, a knock sounded at their door, and Sora bounded up and across the room to open it. "Hey, guys! What's up?" he asked, stepping aside to allow Kairi and Namine into the room.

Smiling fondly, Kairi ruffled his brown spikes. "Not much. How's Brother Bonding Night?"

"Great! Roxas and I were playing Mortal Combat, and I totally kicked his butt!" the enthusiastic sophomore told her excitedly, taking her hand and pulling her over to sit on his bed. "Roxy isn't much a challenge, though," he whispered, winking. Kairi laughed when Roxas stuck his tongue out at his energetic twin.

"Sit down, Namine. Don't act like you've never been here before," the redhead chided, noticing her cousin still standing awkwardly by the door.

Hastily, Roxas stood up and offered her his chair; she blushed and accepted, sitting on the edge of her seat like she might have to make a run for it at any moment.

Watching only made Kairi more confused. "What's wrong with you two? You've been tiptoeing around each other for days. Did something happen I don't know about?"

Before either embarrassed teen could answer, Sora blurted out, "They accidentally kissed while we were on our friend-date!"

Kairi blinked. "Oh. Well, that's not a big deal." The looks on Roxas and Namine's faces told her it was a big deal to them, and she sighed. "All right, here's what we're going to do. Sora, we're going to go to the basement and get drinks from the vending machine while these to blond babies work things out so we can all be friends again." Leaving no room for argument, she grabbed the brunette's hand and all but dragged him from the room, firmly shutting the door behind her.

Free from the awkwardness of Roxas and Namine and the energy of Brother Bonding Night, Sora stretched and sighed deeply, seeming to lose hold of his good mood. His smile disappeared and he watched his feet as he and Kairi made their way to the basement.

"Sora, is something wrong?" the redhead asked once they stood in front of the vending machine, concern clear in her voice and expression. "You don't seem like yourself."

"It's nothing," Sora mumbled, fiddling with the pull tab on his pop can. "Just…Riku's been weird lately…"

Taking his hand again, Kairi led her young friend over to the few chairs set out for students and sat, pulling him down into the chair beside hers. "Weird how?"

Sora let out another heavy sigh. "He's been quieter and doesn't seem to want to be around me anymore. Even when we work out together, he doesn't joke around as much, and he gets mad at me really easily. I invited him to come over tonight, but he said he's busy. He's been telling me he's too busy to hang out for over a week. I thought it was just because of midterms, but those are over and he's still too busy." Sympathetic, Kairi touched his shoulder comfortingly, and he looked at her with eyes full of confusion and hurt.

"I mean, I know he has other friends and stuff and I haven't known him for very long, but he wasn't like this when we first started hanging out with him, back when I thought he was just a jerk. So is it me? Did I do something to make him mad at me?" Tears began forming under his clear blue eyes.

"Oh, Sora, no," Kairi object quickly, touching his cheek. "It isn't your fault. Riku's probably just got a lot on his plate right now."

"But then why wouldn't he just say that?" the brunette asked, looking down. "He still talks to Roxas and you and Namine…it's just me he ignores…"

Kairi paused. "Sora, if you're this upset, why don't you talk to Riku about it? I'm sure he'd explain why he hasn't had time to come over lately."

Shaking his head, Sora leaned away from his redheaded friend and wiped at his eyes before any tears could fall. "He'd just make fun of me for being clingy or get mad at me for being nosy. If he's as busy as he says, I don't want to bother him just because I feel left out."

"But he's your friend, Sora," Kairi pointed out calmly. "He won't make fun of you or get mad at you for being honest with him."

"No," the sophomore boy replied stubbornly, looking down at his shoes. "I don't want to tell him. I don't want him to think I'm being a baby."

Kairi opened her mouth to protest, but she realized what Sora was thinking before any words came out.

_He doesn't want Riku to realize how much he likes him,_ she thought, gazing silently at her upset friend. _And he's afraid that Riku will judge him if he does find out._ It made so much sense, Kairi was amazed she hadn't realized it sooner, although this was the first she'd heard of Sora's unhappiness.

"Well, you do whatever you feel is best, Sora." She smiled and stood. "I think we've given Roxas and Namine enough time to work things out, don't you?"

Nodding, Sora stood and took her hand. They walked silently back to Sora and Roxas' room, and opened the door to see the two blondes laughing. Immediately, Sora's smile was back in place, and he crossed the room to nudge his twin.

"Looks like you two got things sorted out. What's the verdict?"

Roxas and Namine looked at each other for a moment then smiled. "Friends," they said together, then laughed. Sora cheered and announced that it was time to watch a movie, and because they'd created the first awkward moment of the night, Roxas and Namine had to choose. From her place on his bed, Kairi watched Sora closely, looking for any signs that his happiness was fake or forced. He seemed to be acting normal, but there was something sad about his eyes, and she saw his smile falter whenever he thought no one was looking.

_Poor Sora,_ she sighed inwardly. _I wish he'd realize how much he likes Riku. I know they could work things out. They'd be perfect together._

"Kairi, come help us pick a movie!" Sora called, interrupting her thoughts, and the redhead smiled.

"Sure, Sora." As her eyes met his, Kairi decided she wasn't going to sit around waiting for Sora to realize that Riku liked him, and she wasn't going to go so easy on the silver-haired boy anymore, either.

Still smiling, the scheming redhead crossed the room to help choose a movie, keeping her thoughts to herself. If Riku had been annoyed with her pestering him before, he was going to feel outright harassed the next time she got him alone. Kairi was not about to let him get away with upsetting her best friend.


	18. Chapter 18

No. Absolutely not. This could not be happening to him. It couldn't. He refused. Never, not in a million years.

"Roxas, would you pass me the book, please?"

With a permanent scowl on his face, Roxas picked up the lab book and passed it to the student beside him, purposefully not looking at him.

"Thanks."

_Stop it! Stop being so nice to me!_

It didn't make sense. His first interaction with that jerk since the party, and he was acting like an innocent puppy. Of course, some of what had happened could be chalked up to the alcohol, but Roxas wasn't willing to let that be an excuse.

"Axel, you're going to start the book on fire if you keep holding it that close to the burner."

"Oops! Sorry. Thanks, Zex."

Roxas living his worst nightmare. Chemistry with Professor Vexen was already a difficult class, but now it was even worse. Now he was being forced to do a group lab with none other than Axel, and Axel's friend Zexion. He wasn't particularly interested in being in such close proximity to the redhead, especially considering every time he looked at him, he felt like he was trapped on that couch all over again.

"All right, Roxas," Zexion cautioned, "steady."

As carefully as he could, Roxas picked up a piece of steel with a pair of tweezers and dipped it into the boiling chemical mixture they had prepared and were now heating over the Bunsen burner. The three students watched intently as the metal changed colors before basically disintegrating. Roxas removed what was left of the steel from the solution before it could fully dissolve and dropped it onto a plastic tray as Axel wrote down what had happened on the worksheet Vexen had given them.

"Perfect." The blue-haired senior's tone was oddly satisfied, considering how irritated he'd been with his group mates for the beginning portion of the lab. No one could blame him, of course. Zexion hadn't exactly been happy about being in a group with Axel and Roxas. It wasn't that he minded working with them, but it was the combination that irritated him. Axel was doing his absolute best to try to win Roxas over by being overly nice and polite, while the blond was doing his absolute best to ignore the older student as much as possible while still working on the lab. It wasn't what Zexion would consider a favorable situation. However, they were finishing the experiment at a decent pace and so far had experienced no major complications.

There had been a small moment of panic when Axel purposefully turned the gas on the burner too high so that the flame nearly singed all the boys' eyebrows when he lit it. Zexion had the sneaking suspicion that Axel had been trying to show off for Roxas, though how he intended to impress the younger boy by nearly causing an explosion was beyond the limits of Zexion's comprehension. Some things, like crushes, just didn't make sense to him.

Roxas hurried to put away the supplies that were his responsibility so that he could sit and not have to talk to Axel anymore. All he wanted was a little peace and quiet, but Axel kept reaching in front of him so he had to pause, kept bumping him a little to try and gain his attention. It was all rather annoying for the blond, and he knew he wasn't going to be able to stay calm if the senior didn't take a hint and back off.

_I don't see why he's trying to be all buddy-buddy after the stunt he pulled. He already knows I don't like him, so why can't he just leave me alone?_

Finally finished, Roxas retreated to his place at the table he—unfortunately—had to share with Zexion and Axel for the day, and buried his nose in a book in an attempt to discourage any further interactions with the older students.

Axel dropped into the chair beside the blond. "What are you reading?"

_Curse him._

"Pride and Prejudice." He didn't look at the other student, knowing that if he did, it would put his face less than a foot from the redheaded senior's.

"I haven't read it. What's it about?"

"This girl who has all these guys proposing to her. She keeps telling them no because she doesn't like any of them, but they won't take a hint." Roxas hoped Axel took a hint and left him alone.

"Well, if they really like her, then I understand why they don't give up."

"They don't even know her that well. They just think she's pretty."

"Maybe they want to get to know her."

_If you wanted to be my friend you wouldn't have tried to make out with me while you were drunk!_

"Then they should do that instead of trying to get her to marry them right off the bat."

Axel grinned. "Too bad it's just a book, huh?"

"It's more realistic than you'd think." As if that settled things, Roxas settled back in his chair and went back to reading.

"How does it end?"

Roxas had to resist the urge to growl. "She ends up falling in love with one of the guys and marries him."

"So one of those guys wasn't like the rest. What does it take for the girl to realize he actually likes her?"

_He doesn't really think he can use the storyline of Pride and Prejudice to get back on my good side, does he?_

"One of the girl's sisters runs away with a guy—which is horrible and could ruin the girl's whole family—so he secretly arranges for the sister to marry the guy and pays for it."

"He seems like a good guy. Why's it take so long for him to win her over?"

"He made an ass of himself in the beginning," Roxas stated flatly. "He said she was 'barely tolerable,' insulted her family and ruined her other sister's chances of getting married. Then he asked her to marry him without spending any time with her or apologizing."

"Hm. Well, it sounds like a good story."

"It is."

_Go away._

"Could I borrow it when you're done?"

_Crap._

Roxas was reluctant to lend his book to the senior, especially since he knew it was most likely just an excuse for Axel to talk to him again. His upbringing demanded he be polite, however, and so he felt he had no choice but to agree. "Uh, sure, I guess."

Axel grinned. "Great." He leaned back in his chair, propping his feet up on the table. Roxas' nose crinkled in disgust.

"Could you please not do that?"

"What? Oh, sorry." The senior took his feet off the table and sat up, instead leaning forward and placing his elbows where his feet had been.

"Thank you."

"No problem."

Sitting on Axel's other side, Zexion couldn't help but roll his eyes. He wasn't going to say anything, but he thought it was rather pathetic of Axel to suck up to the younger student the way he was. The kid didn't like him—why couldn't he just accept it? What drove him to keep trying, even though he knew how slim his chances of success were? It didn't make sense.

There was no logical reason for Axel to continue pursuing Roxas, yet he did. Perhaps he felt guilty about the party and was only trying to redeem himself. Zexion could understand that—it was similar to why he was basically stalking Demyx—but making up for past wrongs and kissing ass were two very different things.

XXX

Silence surrounded the table and the students who sat there. They'd been talking and laughing like normal until a moody blonde and his timid twin had arrived. Everyone knew something had upset Roxas, but no one was brave—or dumb—enough to ask what, and so they ate in silence.

"I can't believe him!" the disgruntled teen suddenly burst out, slamming down his fork. The others jumped at the abrupt noise, startled.

"Seriously, what is he thinking? I don't get it. He thinks he can just be my friend, after what he pulled?"

His friends exchanged glances. "Uh…Roxas? Who are you talking about?" Sora ventured.

"That pig-headed, pushy, conceited, drunken jerk!"

Another look went around the table.

"You mean Axel?" Kairi asked calmly.

Sulking, Roxas slumped back in his chair and nodded, his meal forgotten.

"What did he do?"

"Talked to me."

Kairi put on her "disapproving mother" face. "You're this upset because a guy talked to you? Roxas, you're being childish."

"No, I'm not!" he protested. "Would you want to talk to him if you were me?"

"Probably not, but that doesn't mean I'd throw a fit about it."

Frustrated sigh bursting forth, Roxas let his forehead thunk against the table. He didn't understand why he was sup upset, either. Maybe because he knew Axel hadn't given up on him. Or maybe because he had to lend him his copy of Pride and Prejudice. It could be that the redhead simply irritated him. Whatever the reason, Roxas was in no mood to talk to anyone, not even Sora.

Finally, Namine decided to break the silence. "Do you all know what you're going to dress as for the Masquerade?"

"Yep!" Sora answer instantly, beaming. "Rox and I are going to match!"

Namine smiled at him. "Cool! Kairi and I are doing a theme." She looked at her cousin as the redhead grinned.

"What about you, Riku? What are you going as?" Sora asked the older boy, excitement and curiosity shining in his blue eyes.

"I'm not."

"Not dressing up? But don't you have to?"

Riku rolled his eyes. "No, idiot. I'm not going to the Masquerade."

The smile vanished and Kairi saw Sora hold back a wince at the word, though she doubted the others had noticed.

"Why not? It'll be fun."

"I'm not going to waste my time at something as silly as that dance. Besides, I don't have a date and anyone who goes alone looks like a loser." The silver-haired teen's tone was casual, but his words hung around the table like a thick fog.

Kairi could tell Sora was fighting to maintain his composure and felt sorry for the brunette. Every time Riku said something negative or degrading about something Sora was excited about, it was like the younger boy's happiness was stolen right out of him. His smile would falter, he'd turn and talk to someone else or fall silent completely. Sometimes, Kairi wanted to smack Riku for paying so little attention to Sora's feelings.

"There's nothing wrong with not having a date," she countered on her friend's behalf. "We're all going as friends, anyway."

Sora flashed her a grateful smile. "Yeah. It really is going to be fun, Riku."

The teal-eyed boy shrugged. "If you say so. I'm still not going."

Sighing dramatically, Sora pouted at his reluctant friend. "You never do anything fun."

"That's not what you said last night."

Instantly, the brunette blushed darkly and looked away. Roxas' head shot up off the table and he stared at Riku in shock as Namine studied the remains of her spaghetti as if it could provide the meaning of life. Kairi just smiled and giggled, a little embarrassed.

Oblivious, Riku glared around the table. "What?" he demanded. No one answered and he growled in frustration. _"What?!"_

Sora laughed awkwardly without meeting the other's eyes. "Don't you, uh, realize how that sounded, Riku?"

"How what sounded?"

"'That's not what you said last night.'"

"Well, it isn't. What the hell are you looking at me like that for, Roxas?"

"It sounded like you were fooling around with my twin!" the blonde blurted out, then turned a deep shade of red.

Riku stared at him in confusion. "Fooling around…" In quick succession, realization then horror appeared on his face. "What?! No! That's not—! I didn't mean—! I'd never do anything like that with _Sora!"_

The brunette in question grinned cheekily. "But, Riku, what about all those times in the locker room? You know, when it's just the two of us?" His tone was very, _very,_ suggestive.

Roxas choked on air at his twin's words. _"What?"_

Furious, Riku's face was an even darker red than Sora's had been, though not as dark as Namine's was. The blonde girl was sinking lower and lower in her chair as if she couldn't withstand the blatantly sexual turn their conversation had taken.

"He's lying! I don't even know what he's talking about!" the older sophomore sputtered.

Sora's bottom lip poked out. "Don't you like what I do, Riku? I like what _you_ do." He smiled flirtatiously.

The silver-haired teen glared at the younger boy as Kairi attempted to smother a fit of giggles. It was incredibly difficult, considering how positively glee-full she was that Sora was teasing the older boy for once. She would never admit it to Riku, but she loved seeing him put in his place.

An innocent smile replaced Sora's flirtatious one and he glanced at the clock. "Uh-oh! Guys, we'll be late for class if we don't hurry!" Before anyone could stop him, he gathered his things and left, depositing his dishes at the tray dump on his way out. He was several yards down the hall by the time Roxas caught up to him.

"Wait a minute, Sora! What were you talking about just now?" he demanded, obviously confused. "What do you do in the locker room?"

Sora grinned. "We give each other muscle rubs with this pain-relieving cream when we're sore from training. It works really well on knots."

"Oh." The blond was clearly relieved it wasn't anything worse. "Okay."

"Geez, Rox, what did you _think_ I meant?" Sora teased him. His twin blushed.

"Nothing."

Laughing, Sora led his embarrassed brother to their next class. He'd definitely pay for that joke during P.E., but it had been worth it to see the look on Riku's face. That expression had been absolutely priceless.

XXX

Bored nearly to death, Axel gazed at the ceiling of his dorm, inspecting the little gray flecks against the white background. He had homework to do but no motivation to do it—most of it was for the whore's class anyway—and didn't feel like getting up to watch TV or play videogames. Even the internet held no appeal to him, and usually he wasted multiple hours on it daily. Therefore, he was lying flat on his back on his bed with his long legs stretched out and his hands tucked under his head.

Maybe if he looked closely, he'd start seeing pictures in the groups of specks.

Damn, he was really desperate for something interesting to happen. Unfortunately, it didn't seem like that was going to happen, especially considering his roommate was Missing In Action and Axel had no idea when the blue-haired senior meant to return.

The ceiling grew fuzzy as the redhead's eyes slowly drifted closed. Maybe a nap would give him the energy to actually do something.

As quietly as he could, Zexion opened the door to his dorm and slipped inside, gently closing the door behind him. One glance told him Axel was sound asleep, so he relaxed and set down his bag. He wasn't in the mood to talk to the other senior, and didn't have the time to, either. Keeping an eye on the blond junior was going to start affecting his grades if he wasn't careful, so he set all his homework out on his desk and dove in, determined to finish all of it that night.

Over half an hour passed with only the sounds of turning pages and Zexion's pencil to break the silence.

"Where have you been?"

The sudden voice made Zexion just about fall out of his chair. Thankfully, he managed to remain in control of himself and turned to look at the yawning redhead. "I've been right here, working."

Axel gave him a look that meant he wasn't in the mood for any of Zexion's word games. "No, I mean before." He glanced at the clock. "You weren't here forty-seven minutes ago."

"I was in the library."

"Again?"

"Yes." Finished with the conversation, Zexion turned back to his desk and resumed working.

"Huh." Axel didn't push it; he knew it wasn't a good idea to bother the other senior when he had work to do. But he couldn't help but wonder why his roommate had been spending so much time in the library lately. It didn't surprise him, exactly, but Zexion preferred solitude and silence while he worked, and the library tended to be pretty noisy in the early afternoons. During the day, Zexion only went there to pick up books. If he stuck around, it was usually after dark when the other students had already retreated to their dorms. He knew it wasn't the books or the atmosphere that had caught the blue-eyed senior's interest.

_Could it be…?_ A slow grin spread over Axel's face.

"Hey, Zexion?" the tall boy practically purred, sitting up on his bed.

Irritated at being interrupted again, the addressed student didn't turn around. "What?"

"Is there any…special reason you've been hanging around the library so much lately?"

Zexion froze, his pencil poised in mid-air. The other boy's tone made it obvious what he was asking about, but the shorter senior feigned confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, is there something in the library that isn't here? Or some_one_, perhaps?"

Thoughts racing, Zexion struggled to come up with a suitable answer. "Why do you ask?"

Axel shrugged, standing and going over to look out the window. In the courtyard below, students meandered back and forth, relaxing after a day of classes. "You just seem more preoccupied than usual, which is saying something. I know it isn't classes because you're never stressed about school. So, it has to be something else. Zexion," he turned and grinned at his roommate, "I think you've got a crush."

The word made Zexion's normally pale face turn a delicate shade of pink. "What? I do not."

"Oh, yes you do!" Axel crowed triumphantly, pointing at the other's blush. "I can tell just by your face! So, who is the lucky girl? Do I know her?" He wiggled his eyebrows.

Zexion gave his friend a blank stare. "I am not having this conversation with you."

"Aw, Zexy, why not?"

Whirling, around, the blue-haired senior glared at his roommate with all the ferocity and cold fury he could muster. "Don't you_ dare_ call me that," he growled threateningly. _"Ever."_

Axel held up his hands in defense. "All right, all right, I won't call you that. Seriously, though, why won't you tell me? Or is it because you can't? I mean, I know I can't exactly be open to everyone about the fact that I like Roxas because of Larxene, but you don't have problems like that."

"Axel, I don't have a crush. Honestly. Besides, who at this school would I be attracted to?"

The redhead paused, trying to think of someone, but couldn't. He sighed and dropped into his desk chair. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

Zexion smiled in an attempt to lighten the mood. "Did your friendliness during Chemistry work?"

"Not really, but I think I'm making progress. Who knows, maybe he'll actually look me in the eye by graduation."

"I'm sure he will, Axel."

"I hope so." The redhead turned to his desk and glumly began on his homework. After a moment, Zexion began working again as well, though he couldn't get his roommate's words out of his head.

It was true, he'd been spending so much time in the library because that's where Demyx always was, and he'd only returned to his room because Demyx had gone back to his—he'd made sure the blond gotten there without any run-ins with a certain pink-haired teacher. But he was only doing it to protect the kid, not because he had a crush on him. Though he had to admit, Demyx was cute, and Zexion often found himself watching him more than was necessary. However, that didn't mean had a crush on the younger student.

Did it?

_Oh, shit. This cannot be good._


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter XIX

Roxas glanced at his twin, mildly concerned. It was odd for his brunette twin to still be in their dorm at 7:12 in the morning on a Saturday. He'd grown used to having the dorm to himself for a couple hours while Sora was off working out with Riku, and he generally used the time to work on his homework without distractions. More surprising than the fact that Sora was even in their dorm was the fact that he was doing his own homework without having complained first and with no badgering from the blond.

_This is ten percent luck, twenty percent skill,  
>Fifteen percent concentrated power of will.<br>Five percent pleasure, fifty percent pain,  
>And a hundred percent reason to remember the name.<em>

The angry-sounding ringtone sounded from the phone sitting on Sora's desk. He stared at it, his expression betraying his reluctance to answer. As the lyrics began to repeat, he picked it up and flipped it open. "Hello?"

"_Where the hell are you? We were supposed to start fifteen minutes ago!"_

Sora put his head down on his desk and sighed. "I know, Riku. I just have a lot of homework to do. I can't make it today."

"_Like hell you can't. It's Saturday morning. You'll have all day and all of tomorrow to do your homework. Get off your lazy ass and come to the track."_

"Riku, no."

"_If you aren't down here in five minutes, I'll come get you myself, and don't think I won't. You know I can carry you all the way back here."_

"In my pajamas? Or were you going to strip me and dress me, too?" After he said it, he wondered if it was too much to remind the older athlete of his embarrassment at lunch the other day.

The other end of the line was silent, then, _"Five minutes, Sora."_

"Yeah, I heard you. Fine. I'm coming." He hung up before Riku could say something sarcastic.

From his own desk, Roxas watched his twin with growing concern. Was Sora actively avoiding Riku? The blond hadn't thought it was possible for that to happen. He watched the brunette sigh and rise from his desk then begin to change.

Sora really, _really,_ didn't want to go. Why should he, when the silver-haired teen had been refusing to hang out with him for weeks other than work outs? Sora didn't like being ignored, especially by someone who was supposed to be his best friend. Other than Kairi, but she was a girl so he didn't think it was the same thing. Regardless, Riku hadn't been giving Sora the time of day so he didn't feel particularly inclined to put in the effort to see the older boy. But he knew that if he didn't go then Riku really would show up at his dorm and basically man-handle him into his sweats then carry—or even possibly drag—him down to the track, so he quickly changed and left the dorm, jogging as a warm up.

Riku looked up at the sound of approaching footsteps and saw Sora jogging towards him. He had to resist the urge to smile at the sleep-tousled hair and obviously hurriedly donned clothes. The boy really hadn't planned on leaving his dorm for a while.

"Well, look who finally decided to show up! Come on, Sleeping Beauty, we're doing extra today to make up for your tardiness." He smirked as Sora groaned, then took off around the track, having already warmed up and stretched.

With another sigh, Sora stretched quickly then began to run after the older boy, lengthening his stride in an effort to catch up. The crisp, cool air was invigorating and he began to feel his usual competitive enthusiasm as he gained on Riku.

_This time, I'll beat him,_ he thought. _He'll definitely think I'm worth his time, then._

He increased his pace and caught the older boy, but when he tried to pass him, Riku only sped up so that the two remained neck-and-neck. They raced around the track, lap after lap disappearing behind them as they fought to outlast and outpace each other. Eventually, their legs began to tire, though they refused to slow more than their bodies forced them to, battling and fighting the exhaustion with all they had. Sora's younger legs gave first and he tripped, rolling and skidding across the black surface of the track, scraping and tearing every bit of bare skin that came into contact with the rough material.

Riku slowed to a jog and circled back to the younger boy, panting as he looked down at him. His eyes widened slightly when he saw the blood that was quickly staining Sora's white and green sweats. "Are you okay, brat?" For once, genuine concern and not sarcasm coated his words despite having called Sora a brat, as usual.

But Sora didn't notice. He'd had enough. "What do you care?" he gasped, struggling to stand despite his shaking limbs and the pain in his injured body. "Shit…"

Dumfounded, the older student stared at him. "Sora, what…?"

"Just leave me alone!" the brunette shouted, slowly making his way off the track. He was limping and more blood was getting on his uniform. After a moment, Riku went after him.

"Sora, what's wrong?"

Without warning, the younger boy whirled around. "You are!" he shouted, face red from a combination of the run and anger. "You don't talk to me for weeks but you still make me come out here on a Saturday so you can bully me! I do everything you say but it's never enough! _I'm_ not enough! But you know what, Riku? I'm done with this, and I'm done with you! This stupid, twisted game we've been playing, it's over! You win! Congratulations, you finally proved you're as big of an ass as everyone told me you were! I honestly thought they were wrong but they were right!" Tears were dripping down his face, mixing with the blood from the scrape on his cheek. "I'm done, okay? I can't do this anymore. I can't be your friend when you make me feel like worthless trash." He turned away, exhausted physically and emotionally and hurting both ways, too. With as straight of a spine as he could manage, he began to walk away from boy he'd tried so hard to impress.

Shocked into silence, Riku stared at the shorter student's back as his words sank in. He couldn't believe how upset the other boy was, and the things that had been shouted at him hurt. "Well fine then! Go back to your room and cry to Roxas! Geez, you really are a brat!"

Sora froze, fisting his hands at his sides. "Stop calling me that!"

"Or what, you'll bleed on me?" Riku's tone was viciously mocking. "I'm so scared."

With a growl, Sora spun around and marched back to where Riku still stood and glared up at him. "You know what, Riku? I'm really sick of you picking on me all the time and making fun of Roxas. Just because he isn't a muscle-head like you doesn't mean he's weak, you know."

Riku looked away, refusing to meet the other's furious blue eyes. "Whatever. Like I care what you think. You're just an annoying wannabe, anyway."

"And you're a selfish asshole! You don't care about anyone but yourself!"

"I care more than you do, brat!"

"I care plenty! I just happen to have a social life outside the gym, unlike you!"

"I have a social life."

"Do not. You're either in class, working out, eating or hiding away in your dorm. You don't even have friends—just people like Kairi who talk to you because they feel bad for you!"

"I do too have friends!" His tone was offended.

"Who are they, then? Why haven't I met them?"

"Why the hell would I introduce you to my friends? You're not my boyfriend, you little twerp."

Sora's cheeks flamed. "Like I'd want to be your boyfriend! Who'd want to date a jerk like you? You'd just make fun of me the whole time!"

A smirk curved up one corner of Riku's mouth. "Naw, if I liked someone enough to date them then I wouldn't have anything to make fun of them for."

"Well if you don't like me then why do you make me come work out with you?"

Riku rolled his eyes. "Because you're my training partner, stupid. Or did you see someone else out here at seven in the morning running the track with me? You're such a brat—why don't you go back to Mommy and Daddy with your brat twin and take your girlfriend with you?"

The brunette's face turned an even darker shade of red. "I don't even know what you're talking about! I don't have a girlfriend!"

"Then what do you call Kairi? It's pathetic the way you follow her around like a lost puppy, complimenting her and doing every little thing she asks. You might as well be her lapdog."

Before Riku could say another word, Sora drew back his fist and landed a punch square on the older student's jaw. Riku's head snapped to the side and he stumbled, taken by surprise.

"Take that back!"

Growling, the silver-haired sophomore tackled the other boy to the ground. Sora shouted as the two fell, pushing at Riku's shoulders and kicking in an attempt to free himself. The fall sent a wave of pain over him as his various scrapes were roughly brushed against. Unfazed, Riku grabbed a fistful of the front of Sora's shirt and punched him in the cheek, making the back of the brunette's head bounce of f the ground. A yelp of pain escaped Sora and he struggled weakly, stars dancing before his eyes. Seeming not to notice, Riku drew back his fist for a second blow, using his grip on Sora's shirt to shake the younger boy.

"Give up or I'll pound you to a pulp!"

"No!"

Riku's fist made contact with Sora's cheekbone for a second time, ensuring that the younger boy would develop a black eye and making him flinch and cry out. The older boy's knuckles were smeared with blood from the wound on Sora's cheek.

"Give up!"

Sora clenched his hand into a fist and thrust it into Riku's stomach so that the silver-haired boy gasped for air; his grip loosened on the brunette's shirt. Seizing his opportunity, Sora shoved Riku away and scrambled to his feet, his hand held to his bruising cheek as Riku glared at him.

Panting from the fight, Sora looked down at Riku as the older student wiped a bit of blood off his lip. Then, without a word, he turned and began the walk back to the freshman dorm hall, still limping. Riku watched him go, still seated on the ground but no longer angry. He regretted fighting with the younger boy because, despite what he'd said, he considered Sora a friend and didn't want to lose that friendship. He knew Kairi would throw a fit when she found out about it, especially when she saw the black eye he'd given Sora. More than anything, Riku felt a pang of sadness that he couldn't quite place. The things Sora had said had hurt, regardless of Riku's refusal to show it or admit it.

Several minutes passed before the silver-haired sophomore rose from the ground and dusted himself off. Sora was long gone and the pain was quickly fading from his split lip and bruised stomach. Sighing, Riku picked up his gym bag and headed towards his own dorm hall to shower. He wondered what would happen the next time he saw the brunette—would they ignore each other? Would Sora refuse even to look at him? Or would they exchange insults until a second fight broke out? Not that it mattered. Kairi would be sure to force them to work out their differences, if for her own purposes and not merely to repair their damaged friendship. One thing was for sure: no one had ever managed to get Riku so riled up.

XXX

Anger still burned at the back of his mind as Sora walked towards his dorm. His cheek ached where Riku had punched him, not to mention the spot on his skull that was sore from striking the ground and the various patches of ripped skin. Part of him knew that he'd overreacted, and his parents would be really angry if they found out he'd started a fight, but he didn't regret it. He was tired of Riku's sour attitude and was tired of acting like it didn't hurt his feelings. Enough was enough.

When Sora arrived back at his and Roxas' dorm, his blond twin was still at his desk and fast busy doing his homework. That meant he should find something quiet to do, but he really didn't feel like being quiet. He wanted to destroy something.

The sound of an explosion ripped Roxas out of his focused state and he bolted out of his chair, his heart pounding. As he looked around wildly, he noticed Sora sitting in front of the TV wearing a headset and holding a controller. He was playing one of his war games and issuing commands into his headset.

Groaning, Roxas put a hand over his eyes. Unfortunately, he wouldn't be getting any more work done. Once Sora started playing those games he got more and more worked up until he was yelling and jumping around.

Fully aware of what would happen, Roxas changed into more presentable attire than his pajamas and slipped out of the room just as Sora jumped out of his chair and shouted something about a headshot. The blond shook his head, sighing, and wandered off down the hall. There were no classes to go to because it was Saturday, and his friends were sure to be sleeping. It was, after all, only about eight in the morning. This being the case, it was silent when he left the building and walked off across the courtyard.

_It's actually kind of nice out here,_ he thought, looking around. Fog drifted above the grass, half hiding the pathways and various landscaping. Dew glistened in the weak morning light, making the autumn flowers look like jewels. Roxas decided it would make a great painting.

He smiled, took his phone from his pocket, and called the one person he knew would appreciate the morning as much as he did.

"Hello?" the sleepy, sweet voice sounded.

"Namine, get dressed and come outside. I want to show you something."

"Roxas? What is it?"

"Just come see."

"But…okay…I'm coming."

He heard rustling blankets before the call disconnected, and he began walking towards the sophomore hall. When Namine came down to the front doors, he was waiting for her and was even more eager to show her what he'd found.

"Morning," she yawned, rubbing at her eyes. She wore a jacket over her nightgown, with a fluffy hat pulled down over her ears and light blue slippers protecting her toes. Roxas though she looked adorable.

"Come on." He reached out and took her hand, leading her across the lawn.

A light blush colored Namine's cheeks. "Roxas, where are we going?"

He smiled. "You'll see."

The only sound was their footsteps.

Namine yawned again. "Roxas, can't you just tell me what it is?"

The blond boy shook his head and stopped walking. "Just wait," he whispered, glancing up at the cloud that covered the sun. Just as Namine was about to go back to bed, the cloud moved and the sunlight hit the dew, making the fog glow and the plants sparkle.

"Oh!" Namine gasped, her blue eyes going wide. "Roxas—it's beautiful!"

"Do you think you could paint it?" he asked quietly, smiling as she pulled away and looked closely at a flower. Namine spun, her nightgown flaring around her, and smiled.

"Of course! It's so lovely…Mister Marluxia would love it…"

Roxas smiled back, even though the mention of the teacher confused him. "Great."

The two students walked the grounds together, talking quietly until the sun burned the fog away and dried up the dew. Other students began to appear, traveling between dorms and to and from the mess hall.

"Should we get some lunch?" Roxas asked, checking the time. "The others will probably be there soon."

Blushing, Namine looked down at what she was wearing. "I should probably go change first."

"Oh, yeah, right." Roxas couldn't believe he'd forgotten that she was still in her nightdress.

XXX

"Way to lose your cool, hotshot."

"Shut up," Riku grumbled, resting his chin in his hand.

Kairi put her hands on her hips as she stood in the middle of his dorm. "Do you want my help or not?"

Resigned to the fact that he'd messed up and had to be the one to fix it, Riku sighed. "Yes."

"Good." The redhead smiled and began pacing the room. "Well, the first thing, obviously, is to apologize. And you have to make sure he knows you mean it, or it won't help anything."

"Okay, what else?"

"Make it up to him. Don't be so mean."

"I'm not—!"

Kairi gave him a look that stopped him from finishing his sentence. "You are, too, and you very well know it, Riku." There was silence as they glared at each other.

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered after several moments. "So what else should I do?"

Her tone turning serious, Kairi stood in front of him. "You have to change your behavior so that it doesn't happen again. I'm not saying you shouldn't be yourself, but you do have the habit of using insults to push people away. That's something to work on."

Apologize, be nice, admit to being friends. Hell, if Riku was going to go through all that trouble then Sora had better appreciate it.

"I hope you're right, Kairi."

"So do I. How are you ever going to confess your feelings for each other if you aren't speaking?"

Riku rolled his eyes. "For the last time, I don't like him like that."

Kairi smiled innocently and winked. "Whatever you say. Now, how are you going to apologize to Sora? I mean, it's going to have to be a good apology, judging by the way you described the fight. He probably isn't going to want to so much as look at you for weeks."

Riku sighed and rested his chin on the back of his chair. "I don't know. I'll think of something."

"Hey, Riku?"

"Yeah?"

"I know you don't think he'll forgive you, but if you really mean it when you tell him you're sorry, he'll give you a second chance." She glanced at her phone to check the time. "I've got to go take care of a few things. Are you going to be all right?"

"Yeah…I'll be fine…"

"Okay. I'll see you at lunch."

"Bye, Kairi."

"Bye." She pulled the door shut behind her and walked off down the hall, her thoughts in turmoil. Everything was wrong. They were not supposed to fight—they were supposed to end up together! If Sora didn't forgive Riku, then that'd be the end of her plans for her two friends. To make matters even worse, she'd stopped by Roxas and Sora's dorm while Sora was gone to get some help on her homework from Roxas. The blond was still upset about having to work with Axel in his chemistry class and Kairi had patiently listened to him explain why. Now she really had to find that senior and talk to him about her blond friend so that she could fix things.

_All these children running around making a mess of things, and I have to do all this work just to get them back on track,_ she thought exasperatedly, ignoring the fact that she chose to intervene as much as she did and that she enjoyed being able to help set things up.

If she didn't get a move on, things were going to happen without her knowledge or her guidance, and she could hardly be of any help then. It was time to put her plans into action.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter XX

The glass beakers clinked against each other as Zexion hurriedly put everything away. Classes were finished but he was in the chemistry lab making sure he had everything he was going to need for an upcoming experiment. Most of the necessary supplies were at his disposal, though one or two things needed to be refilled. All he had to do was make a list of what he needed and how much of it so that Professor Vexen could order it.

Dark blue eyes darted towards the clock.

_Shit! He's probably already there! I don't want him to see me walking in!_

The cabinet doors were carelessly slammed shut and the blue-haired senior quickly surveyed the room to make sure he hadn't missed anything. Professor Vexen might restrict Zexion's freedom in the lab if he left any messes, so only once he was satisfied did he snatch his bag off the counter and leave the room. He wanted to run—no, sprint—to the library, but held himself in check. There was no reason to start a commotion by dashing headlong through the hallways. Besides, he had a reputation to maintain, so he limited himself to a respectable power walk that made it obvious he had somewhere to be and it wouldn't be wise to get in his way.

He couldn't believe how long it had taken him to take inventory of the lab's supplies. It wasn't like he'd been slacking, yet he was over fifteen minutes late getting to the library so he could keep an eye on the junior.

_Why am I so upset about being "late"?_ he wondered, though his pace didn't slow. _This isn't even my responsibility. The kid's probably fine. I need to relax._

The senior ignored his own advice and made it to the school's library only a couple minutes later. His gaze went straight to the desk where the junior always sat; there was no one there.

_Where the hell is he?_

Unreasonably irritated at the blond junior's absence, Zexion stalked through the library. He checked every aisle, every table, desk and couch, every study cubicle. The boy was nowhere to be found and Zexion was starting to feel genuinely worried. Demyx was _always_ at that desk, every day, right after classes, for the last month. Sure, he was occasionally a little late, but never by this much.

_Perhaps he's practicing in the music room. That would make sense, considering he's a Fine Arts pupil._

Still anxious, Zexion left the library and headed off in the direction of the Fine Arts Hall. He'd never been to that part of the school, but he was sure he'd be able to find the music room with relatively little trouble.

No. No, no, no! This was not happening! Not again!

A whimper escaped slightly parted lips. Graceful fingers delicately opened shirt buttons, one by one, revealing smooth, pale skin. Hot breaths on flesh created goosebumps as kisses were placed on a neck then down the exposed chest.

Pinned to the wall by the body before him, Demyx tried desperately to pretend he was somewhere else, that he wasn't trapped in that little side hall, that Mister Marluxia wasn't touching and kissing him.

"Please," he began to beg, but before he could get the rest of the words out, Marluxia's mouth latched onto the blond's chest just above his nipple and Demyx moaned without meaning to.

The teacher bit and sucked, not hard, but with the intent to leave a mark. He smiled at the thought of making such a claim on the boy, and licked the fast-forming bruise when he was finished.

"Mister Marluxia—"

He was silenced by lips pressing against his own.

"Hush. Don't worry about a thing, little songbird. I promised to take care of you, and I will."

A hand slid down his chest and tugged at his belt.

"S-stop! This isn't what I want!" In vain, he pushed at the taller man's shoulders.

"Demyx." The word was more of a warning growl, and the blond let his hands drop to his sides. This was why he didn't fight, why he didn't tell. He could protest all he wanted, but anything more than that would get him in trouble.

Mister Marluxia purred. "Good boy."

The words made him feel sick; he wanted to vomit. He hated being treated like a pet the way Mister Marluxia did to him. It had been nice at first, having someone pay so much attention to him and compliment his abilities and looks, but not for a long time. Not now that he was pressed against a wall with a hickey on his chest and hands insistently undoing his belt. Fear kept him in place as his pants were opened, and he closed his eyes against what he knew was coming as tears began to gather and trail down his cheeks.

He whimpered again.

"Get off him!"

Demyx's eyes snapped open as he felt his teacher stiffen. Someone hurtled towards them and crashed into Mister Marluxia, grabbing hold of the pink-haired teacher and violently ripping him away from the blond junior. Confusion and fear and relief all mixed together made Demyx's knees feel weak; they gave out and he slid to the floor, his back still pressed to the wall.

What was happening? Someone yelled and shoved Marluxia…

Cautiously, the blond lifted his head and stared at the scene before him. Mister Marluxia was leaning against the opposite wall, looking angry and offended and holding his jaw as if he'd been punched. Whoever had yelled was standing between Demyx and the teacher, though Demyx couldn't see his face. The stranger had a thin, slender build and was of medium height, though the way he'd thrown Marluxia made it obvious that he was far from weak.

The pink-haired teacher stood up straight and advanced. "How dare you! This is none of your business!"

Despite the protective stance of the stranger, Demyx flinched back and cowered against the wall. He'd never seen the man so angry before.

"It's my business to stop a teacher from raping a student," the stranger growled. A look of shock crossed Marluxia's face.

"I wasn't going to rape him! I would never hurt Demyx like that. I love him." His tone had softened and the blond junior could feel eyes on him, but he refused to meet the teacher's gaze.

"You don't love him." The stranger's tone was disgusted. "If you did, you would stop when he wanted, and wait until he was ready. Forcing him isn't love. Love is hugging him when he cries and listening to what he wants. Love is resisting your own desires because he isn't ready. Love is patient and understanding and kind. Love is protecting him from creeps like you!"

Marluxia's remaining anger faded. "Demyx…?" He was uncertain, almost afraid. The junior forced himself to meet that gaze, and held it until the teacher looked away.

The stranger took a menacing step forwards. "Get out of here, and don't come near him again. Believe me when I say that I have access to every chemical and acidic substance in this school. I know exactly which ones to use to melt your flesh without killing you, just to make the pain last longer. I can easily force you to endure all the pain and fear you ever put Demyx through, and more. If you _ever_ bother him again, I swear, I'll kill you in the slowest, most painful way I can. Now, leave before I lose my patience."

With one last, longing glace at the blond junior, Mister Marluxia turned and walked away, disappearing around the corner. Silence filled the hall, broken only by the stranger's heavy breathing. Demyx was speechless.

Had that really just happened? Someone saved him and scared Marluxia away? Someone cared?

Trembling fingers reached out, but before the blond could manage to form the words to thank the stranger, he whirled around and Demyx found himself face-to-face with him. Gentle fingers wiped the tears from his cheeks then buttoned up the junior's shirt before fixing his pants and belt. Only when the strange boy was satisfied that Demyx wasn't hurt did he lift his gaze and look at him.

"T-thank you," Demyx mumbled, unable to look away from the dark blue eyes despite the fury swirling in their depths. He'd never seen eyes that color before.

"Shut up."

Startled, Demyx blinked. "What?"

The stranger turned away and rose to his full height, his posture stiff and tone cold. "Don't thank me. I didn't do it for you. I did it so that I don't have to waste any more of my time on you. _Hours_ of my life spent keeping an eye on you, and you get yourself cornered. What would you have done if I hadn't found you? I really am curious to know. But then, I'd have to understand why you weren't fighting him, first. Maybe you're just that useless; you can't even defend yourself."

Demyx drew back from the hurtful words, confused. "I…I'm sorry, I just…" The strange boy held up a hand, silencing the blond.

"I don't want to hear it. I'm done, Demyx. You're on your own." Turning on his heel, he left the hallway and went the opposite direction Marluxia had.

Alone, Demyx let himself sink back down onto the floor and stared at the spot where the blue-eyed boy had been. His mind struggled to comprehend everything that had just happened in only a few minutes. Marluxia was gone. He wasn't going to bother Demyx anymore.

That brought a smile to the blond's face. After weeks and weeks of feeling dirty and afraid, he was free.

But who was the boy who had so fearlessly stood up to the pink-haired teacher? Demyx had never seen him before, though that wasn't saying much. He didn't tend to socialize outside of music class, and lately he'd been more quiet than usual even then. That was about to change, now that he wasn't going to have to worry about Marluxia anymore.

Still, he wanted to find out who the blue-eyed boy was so he could thank him properly.

_Even if he doesn't want to talk to me, I'll find a way to make him know how grateful I am._

Determined, Demyx stood and ran all the way to the school's front doors, a smile plastered to his face.

"I'm free!" he shouted as he burst outside into the chilly October air. It didn't matter that other students were staring at him like he was a raving lunatic. He didn't care what anyone thought. Freedom was finally his and no one was ever going to take it away again!

XXX

Axel looked at his phone impatiently, checking the time, and then read the note in his hand for what was probably the twentieth time.

_Axel,_

_If you want to fix things with Roxas, meet me by the pool doors at 4pm today. I'll tell you everything you need to know._

_ -K_

It was 4:03, and this mysterious "K" person had yet to show. Just as Axel was beginning to think it was all a prank, a voice sounded from directly behind him.

"Hello, Axel."

The senior turned and stared. "Kairi?"

Smiling, Kairi nodded. "Sorry I'm late." It didn't surprise her that he knew her name even though she hadn't known his until after Homecoming. She did have a reputation as a flirt, and socialized with a fairly large number of people. It wasn't unexpected that he'd heard of her.

Disbelief crossed Axel's face and he held up the note. "You're the one who sent me this?"

"Yep! It wasn't as easy as I hoped, slipping that little bit of paper into your bag, but I managed. So, you want my advice about Roxas or not?"

Even though he wasn't entirely sure about accepting help from the school's biggest flirt—after himself, of course—Axel nodded. "Please."

Kairi smiled and led the senior to a nearby bench, where they sat together. "First, we'll go over why you need my help in the first place. To be completely honest, Axel, you really screwed yourself over."

"I'm aware of that," he said, annoyed. "How do I _fix_ it?"

"You can't _fix_ anything," the redheaded girl countered, keeping her tone calm and collected. "Roxas is convinced you're a bad guy and doesn't even want to hear anyone say differently. You can't blame him, after what you pulled at the party. But Roxas is my friend and if you're serious about getting to know him and being his friend and making up for it, then I'll help you."

Axel leaned closer, earnest. "I am serious! I know I screwed up and I know he hates me, but I really do like him! It's even fine if he doesn't like me back that way. At this point, I'll settle for being his friend. That's all I want."

Smiling, Kairi patted the older student's cheek in a motherly sort of way and pulled a notebook out of her bag. "Good. Now, I've got a list of things Roxas loves, things he hates, things he likes and things that annoy him. We'll go over it now, and you can take it with you to look at. The important thing is to act like you don't know these things. Let him tell you how he feels for himself. The lists are just to give you a place to start when you want to talk to him without immediately getting on his bad side or him becoming annoyed."

She carefully tore a few pages from the notebook. "Roxas is shy, so don't be overly flirtatious or loud. Playful is fine, and even a little bit of teasing won't hurt anything. He's used to those things from his brother, so he should be comfortable with you being that way, too. Don't just hit on him. He was annoyed after working with you in class because you talked to him, but if you persist and prove to him that you don't just think he's cute and really do care about him, he'll come around."

Axel nodded and took the offered pages, scanning the lists. To his surprise and pleasure, he found that he actually had a lot in common with the blond boy he was so infatuated with. Excitement began to replace his doubt that Kairi's suggestions were going to help. It was going to be easy to talk to him about a lot of these things.

"The main thing, Axel," the redheaded girl stated, looking directly into the senior's eyes, "is that Roxas is sensitive, and he's smart. If you're lying or faking, he'll know, and it'll upset him. Be honest. Tell him exactly what you think and feel. As long as you can do that, you should be fine."

Grinning, Axel nodded and carefully tucked the papers away in his bag. "Got it. Honesty and persistence. No problem."

Kairi smiled and stood. "I've got to go, but good luck." She offered her hand, and Axel took it; they shook. "Don't let me down."

The senior stood, towering over her, and winked. "You kidding? With your help, I can't fail."

Giggling, Kairi waved and began walking away. "Good luck!" She didn't hear whether or not Axel replied; she was too busy thinking of what else she had planned for that afternoon.

Right. Ice cream at the boys' room, something Namine and Roxas were going to make for them to try. It should be fun, and talking to Axel had put her in a good mood. She found herself humming all the way up to Roxas and Sora's room.

The scene she found was total chaos.

Namine had turned Roxas' lofted bunk into a fortress and was cheering on the twin boys as they destroyed their room by way of a very violent pillow fight. As quickly as she could so as not to get hit, Kairi climbed up into the loft and settled beside her blonde cousin.

"How'd this start?" she asked, watching Sora and Roxas knock things to the floor as they swung pillows at each other. Despite her disapproving tone, she was smiling.

"Sora was teasing Roxas and saying that the ice cream wasn't going to be as good as when they had it at Tokyo DisneySea in Japan, and Roxas challenged him to a duel," the quieter girl explained. "Since they don't have swords, they're using pillows."

"Oh, well, that makes sense."

Namine giggled. "I know, right?"

"What's Tokyo DisneySea?"

"I think Roxas told me it's a resort they went to with their parents a few times. That's where they had it, and Roxas liked it a lot so we made it for our Home Ec. midterm."

Both girls ducked as a pillow flew towards them.

"Too bad we're not there right now!" Kairi said loud enough for the dueling brothers to hear. "At least we'd get some peace and quiet!"

Her words incited a break and Sora and Roxas collapsed onto the brunette's bed, panting from their fight.

"That's true," Sora commented. "But you wouldn't have nearly as much fun."

Kairi rolled her eyes. "Is the ice cream ready or what? I didn't come here to have pillows thrown at me, you know."

"It should be ready to eat," Namine answered her as she climbed down from her make-shift fortress.

"Namine was a lot more excited to make it for you guys than she was to make it for our midterm," Roxas teased, getting up to help her take the ice cream from the little freezer he and Roxas had in their fridge.

"That's because Coach Xaldin gave us an A! Now I know it'll turn out great," she responded, smiling as she remembered seeing the grade on her report card. Both blondes had been very pleased with themselves. Together, they passed ice cream to Kairi and Sora then each took one for themselves.

It wasn't until they'd been eating for a few moments that Kairi realized someone was missing. "Hey, where's Riku? I thought he was coming over for ice cream, too." The look on Sora's face at the mention of the older student answered her question.

"He's not allowed in my room," he stated flatly. The results of the fight still lingered; a faded black eye and scabs on his cheek and up and down his arms and legs were visible. Everyone else had fallen silent. "I'm not going to pretend like nothing happened."

"Sora, he's your friend," Kairi said gently, preparing to defend the silver-haired boy. Of course she knew Sora was in his right to be angry, but she also knew how guilty Riku felt about the fight and that he fully intended to make it up to the brunette. Sora, on the other hand, didn't know any of that.

"No, he's not. I'm tired of his attitude and I don't have to put up with it anymore."

"But, Sora—"

Blue eyes glared at her and Kairi let the rest of her sentence go unsaid. She didn't want to upset Sora any more than he already was, and pushing the matter certainly wasn't going to help anything.

_You've already made progress with Axel today,_ she told herself. _Let that be enough for now. Riku knows what he has to do to fix this, so leave it alone._

She didn't like it, not one bit. It killed her to watch her friends fight, but there wasn't much she could do about it.

"Hey," Roxas interrupted, breaking the awkward silence that had filled the dorm, "anyone want to go into town tonight? It's Sora's night off, so we should catch a movie or something."

"Yeah!" The brunette instantly cheered up, apparently forgetting about Riku entirely. "Movie night!"

A round of suggestions for movies followed, though Sora separated himself from the group and went to look out the window, his gaze drawn towards the practice field. He knew Riku was probably down there, and he wished he was, too. As angry as he was about the fight, he couldn't help but miss the older boy. But he wasn't going to be the one to apologize. It wasn't often that he held a grudge, but Sora didn't feel like he should be the one to put in the effort to talk to Riku. Not if he wanted things to change.

Sadly, he almost missed being ignored by the teal-eyed boy. At least then he'd gotten to spend time with him. That was better than not seeing him at all.

Author's Note:

Thank you to X-blade025 for reminding me that I never announced Roxas and Namine's grade for their Home Ec. midterm. You inspired the second half of this chapter.


	21. Chapter 21

Yawning, Namine walked into the music room and retrieved her flute. It felt much too early for school, though that was probably because she'd stayed up too late the night before. She hadn't meant to, but it was difficult to fall asleep while Kairi was ranting about things beyond her control. Namine was certainly paying for it. Her fingers were slow and clumsy as she put her flute together and set her music on her stand. Hopefully, Mister Marluxia wasn't going to have them practice any of the more complex songs that day.

The other students talked quietly amongst themselves as she dozed in her seat, then fell silent when their instructor went to the front of the room. Mister Marluxia stood at the podium with his gaze lowered, which Namine thought was unusual. He was generally very cheerful and welcomed the students, not silent and…whatever the emotion he was currently displaying was. It occurred to the blonde that something must be very wrong with her teacher, and she wondered what had happened since the last time she'd seen the man to upset him this much.

"Warm ups and tune, please." The pink-haired teacher's voice was barely audible even for Namine, and she was in the front row. It must have been impossible for those in the back rows to hear him, but those who had heard did as he said, and the rest caught on quickly enough.

Class continued in much the same fashion, and Namine began to feel genuinely concerned for her teacher. Sure, she'd witnessed him forcibly kissing one of her classmates, but that didn't mean he didn't deserve for someone to care about him. Besides, she liked him a great deal. It wasn't until the end of class while she was waiting with Ariel for the bell to ring when her teacher's apparent depression began to make sense.

"Do you think he's okay? He's never been that quiet before," the red-haired girl commented, her concerned blue-green-gray eyes on their teacher.

Namine shrugged. "I'm sure he'll be fine."

Just as Ariel was about to respond, another, quieter voice spoke.

"Hey, Namine?"

"Yes?" The blonde turned and stared, startled. Standing before her was none other than Demyx, the boy she'd seen Marluxia kiss. What on earth could he possibly want? Hadn't he told her to never speak to him again?

The junior had an embarrassed expression. "I, um, wanted to apologize for snapping at you. You know, when you tried to talk to me a while back. I know you were just trying to help."

"Oh…it's okay. It wasn't my business."

Demyx smiled shyly and offered his hand. "Think we can maybe start over and be friends?"

Smiling back, Namine shook his hand. "Definitely." Her acceptance of his apology seemed to lift a large weight off the mulletted boy's shoulders. He immediately launched into an animated discussion over the music with Ariel, whom Namine soon realized was already fairly good friends with the boy. It made sense—they were both juniors and had been in the same music class for three years, so she wasn't all that surprised.

_He's so much happier than usual,_ she thought, watching him talk to her friend with a smile on her lips._ Before, he was quiet and didn't talk to anyone. Now he's as talkative as Ariel._

It seemed odd that he was suddenly in such high spirits on the same day that Mister Marluxia was so downcast. Or maybe that was it. Namine's gaze was instantly drawn to the pink-haired man she could see through the window of his office. Maybe something had happened between Demyx and Marluxia. Had Demyx managed to reject the teacher and somehow ended what the blonde girl was sure had been a long-standing occurrence?

_That has to be it. Mister Marluxia is probably sad because Demyx doesn't like him that way, and Demyx is happy because he doesn't have to deal with Marluxia anymore._

Maybe she was wrong about the whole situation, but Namine hoped she was right, for Demyx's sake. She much preferred this happier Demyx to the quiet, moody one from before, but she wished Marluxia's happiness hadn't been the price to pay for the junior's.

XXX

Sora was dying.

Well, not really, but he definitely felt like it. Having to hang back with Roxas during the warm up jog for P.E. was like a cruel and unusual punishment. He wanted to _run,_ to let his stride lengthen and overtake his classmates until he was at the front where he belonged. But he refused. The sight of silver hair at the front of the group was enough to make him stay where he was and jog with his blond twin.

Ever since the fight with Riku, he'd been avoiding the older student like he carried a whole host of incurable deadly diseases. Even if being away from him for so long hurt more than any punch ever could, which was something Sora had no intentions of admitting.

_If he'd just apologize and actually mean it, then I'd be his friend again._

The brunette knew that wasn't going to happen. For all the hours he'd spent being pushed and prodded and bullied but the silver-haired sophomore, he knew that Riku _never_ apologized. Apologizing was a sign of weakness.

"Stretches!" the loud voice of Coach Xaldin boomed as the students finished jogging and lined up in their usual places. Reluctant, Sora separated himself from his brother and made his way to the front, where he stood beside Riku without so much as glancing at the older boy. They led stretches together, as usual, though it was obvious to everyone that the two boys were still on bad terms.

Coach Xaldin was waiting for them when they finished stretching and had performed their agility drills. "Today, we're going to scrimmage," the dreadlocked man announced, grinning widely. "Sora, Riku, Rolfe and Smith are team captains. Pick your teams, boys, and try to keep it even."

As ordered, the four captains separated and called out who they wanted, eventually splitting the class up into four teams. Sora was strongly reminded of the first day of soccer matches, when he'd shocked everyone by winning against a previously undefeated Riku. He hoped today would end similarly.

Twenty minutes later, all the boys in the class were drenched with sweat and panting as they raced up and down the courts. Eyes glued to the basketball in Riku's hands, Sora did his best to prevent the older boy from passing it to one of his teammates or taking a shot. Suddenly, the silver-haired boy lungeded to the left in an attempt to trick his adversary, but Sora moved too quickly and as Riku stepped right, his foot came down on top of the brunette's. With a yelp, Sora tried to yank his pinned foot free and began to fall, reaching desperately towards anything in order to catch himself.

"Sora!" The ball forgotten, Riku grabbed the younger boy's wrist in an attempt to keep him from falling. They teetered for a moment before crashing to the ground, Riku landing square on top of Sora; both boys instantly turned a dark shade of red and Sora turned his face away from the older boy's.

"Sora, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to," Riku sputtered, at a loss for words.

"Just get off."

Scrambling to his feet, Riku reached down to help the brunette up, but Roxas beat him to it.

"Are you okay?" the blond demanded as he pulled his twin to his feet and examined him for any new bumps or bruises. "Are you bleeding?"

Sora shook his head, his eyes on his shoes so that he wouldn't have to look at Riku. "I'm fine. I just tripped."

Not believing him for an instant, Roxas turned and glared at Riku with all his might. "What's your problem? Why'd you knock him down?"

"What?" The silver-haired boy was shocked at the accusation. "I didn't do anything!"

"You stepped on his foot and made him fall! I saw you!"

"It was an accident!"

"Yeah, right!" Roxas put his face as close to Riku's as he dared, growling softly. "Just leave Sora alone, got it? He doesn't want to talk to you or have anything to do with you after what you did and said. If you keep pulling this crap, you'll have me to deal with, and I'm not as soft as I look." It wasn't often that the blond felt the need to threaten someone, but when it came to Sora he didn't hesitate to make his opinion clear.

Speechless, Riku stared at the usually docile twin. He was too shocked to respond and didn't move even when Coach Xaldin approached and asked what happened. No one answered him; they were too busy watching the three boys and waiting to see what would happen next.

With a huff, Roxas grabbed his twin's hand and led him away, leaving the gym without permission and going straight to the locker room. They grabbed their things and left, breaking the rule about showering, but Roxas didn't care. He was angry about the fight and he was angry about Sora falling and he was angry that Riku didn't seem to care how upset his brother was. By the time the two boys reached their dorm, he'd decided that Riku was just as big of a jerk as Axel and wanted nothing more to do with either of them.

As far as he was concerned, they weren't worth his or Sora's time.

XXX

A soft knock at the door interrupted Luxord's concentration. Who on earth was coming to talk to him? An irritable sigh escaped him as he set down his pen.

"Come in."

The door opened and the last person Professor Luxord wanted to see walked into his classroom.

"Is this a bad time, Professor?"

God, why did she have to act so innocent? "No, Kairi, it's fine. What do you need?"

Smiling, Kairi approached the teacher's desk and set her bag on the floor. "I was hoping you could help me with the paper we're supposed to be writing. I'm having a little bit of trouble." Her bottom lip poked out slightly. "Could you help me, please?"

Luxord had to fight another sigh. "Which part of the assignment is confusing you?" he asked, moving the homework he'd been grading to the side. This was probably not going to end well for him.

The redheaded girl bent down and opened her bag, giving the teacher a clear view of her figure as she did so. When she straightened, she held a book and journal in her hands. "I know we're supposed to read a historical fiction novel and compare it to the actual historical events, and that we're supposed to summarize the book, but how exactly do you want us to compare them?"

Holding out his hand, Luxord took Kairi's book and journal and flipped to a blank sheet of paper. He was a little surprised at the book she had chosen, _Blood on the River_ by Elisa Carbone, but was pleased nonetheless. It was one of his favorites.

"I want you to tell me which parts of the book are fiction and which parts are non-fiction." He wrote the words down as he spoke to make sure Kairi wouldn't forget. "Then discuss the differences and try to explain why the book's author chose to change those parts."

"Oooohhhhhh." The word was drawn out into almost a cooing sound, and the redhead leaned closer to the blond teacher as she read over his shoulder. "What if I don't know why the author changed those parts?"

"You have to read the 'About the Author' section in the back," Luxord explained, forcing his eyes to remain on the paper in front of him instead of on the student who was unreasonably close. "Sometimes the author explains their choices. If there's nothing there, then you can just state in your paper that the author's reasons for changing certain facts are unknown."

"Okay, I can do that." Kairi smiled and lightly placed her hand upon the teacher's arm, looking down at what he'd written. "I thought it was more complicated than that. Guess I was just over-thinking it." She giggled a little self-mockingly. "Thank you so much, Professor Luxord."

"No problem." His grip on the pencil was growing tighter and tighter the longer her hand touched his arm.

_Get a hold of yourself,_ his mind hissed in fury. _She's toying with you! Don't let her get inside your head, Luxord. Keep in control of the situation._

"Professor?"

The timid tone of Kairi's voice forced him to look up and see the uncertainty in her normally confident features. Big mistake. Kairi's soft hands fiddled with the hem of her blouse as she glanced between her shoes and the ice blue eyes of the teacher. Her apparent hesitance was beyond what Luxord normally considered worthy of the description "adorable" and it took everything he had not to pull her into his arms and assure her that everything was going to be all right.

"Yes? What is it?"

"I…I was just wondering…do…do you not…like me?"

Taken aback, Luxord stared at the student before him. "What do you mean?"

A dark blush colored Kairi's cheeks as she looked at the teacher through her eyelashes, her eyes a startling blue compared to the pinkish red of her hair. "Nothing…it's just that…I like you a lot, but you don't seem to like me at all."

_Like her? What is she talking about? And what does she means she likes _me? _She can't possibly mean…?_

Before he could offer any sort of response, Kairi quickly leaned down and brushed her lips against his. It was the chastest kiss imaginable, definitely not what Luxord would have ever expected from Kairi. He felt his face grow warm and he stared at her in surprise as she hurriedly gathered her things then ran from the room without a backward glance. Several minutes passed before the teacher found himself able to move.

"Shit…" He put his hands over his face and rested his elbows on his desk. What the hell was he supposed to do now? It was illegal for him to pursue any sort of relationship with the girl—her age and the fact that she was one of his students were both against him. Yet she was the one making all the first moves, the one making advances. For god's sake, she'd just _kissed_ him! And he hadn't done a thing about it!

_If anyone finds out, I'm dead meat. Headmaster Xemnas will have my head._

That was it, then. What had just occurred was going to have to be his secret, and certainly couldn't happen again. If Kairi insisted on continuing this odd game of hers, he was just going to have to force her to accept that it was impossible. No more flirting, no more touches on his arm or kisses. If he wanted to keep his job, then it had to end. This infatuation couldn't continue.

"She's probably just playing with my emotions," he muttered, face still resting in his hands. "That's all this is to her. A game. And that's all it should be."

If only he didn't let himself get so worked up over the silly game of a high school girl.

XXX

"You're muttering again."

Growling quietly, Zexion lowered his head closer to his desk and continued writing. He needed to finish this assignment as fast as possible, but he was having trouble concentrating and the frequent comments by Axel weren't helping to improve his mood.

"Yo, Zex, what's the matter? Seriously, you've been muttering to yourself ever since you got here." The redhead was lounging on his bed with a book on his chest as he looked over at his roommate. Actually, the blue-haired senior had been acting weird the past few days and Axel had only now decided that it must be something more than the normal stress of school if his friend was this riled up. "Did something happen?"

"No. Nothing happened."

"You sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure!"

Surprised by the aggressive tone of Zexion's voice, Axel sat up and frowned. "You don't have to bite my head off."

"Maybe I wouldn't if you'd leave me the hell alone," Zexion snapped.

Whoa, that didn't sound like the Zexion Axel had known for the last few years. Sure, they'd had their fights and at first they didn't get along, but generally they were on fairly even terms with each other. Axel didn't know what to think of Zexion's response and sat watching the other senior for several minutes. He wanted to ask what was wrong and hopefully get an answer this time, but he knew that if he kept pushing it, Zexion might actually turn violent. The skinny blue-haired student didn't look tough, but Axel knew better than to underestimate his strength. Truth be told, if Zexion was mad enough to fight, Axel wasn't sure who would win between them. It definitely wouldn't be a pretty sight. Still, he was worried about his friend and wanted to help if he could.

"Zexion."

"_What?"_

"I'm not trying to be annoying," the redhead began, but Zexion cut him off.

"Then stop asking me if something's wrong. Nothing is wrong. I'm fine. Everything's fine. Actually, I'm great. Never better. You wouldn't believe how great I am right now." Heavy sarcasm laced his words. "No matter how many times you ask, my answers aren't going to change."

_All right, that's it. I'm not putting up with this_, the redhead decided.

As quietly as he could, Axel got up from his bed and snuck up behind his irritable roommate. Without warning, he grabbed Zexion by his upper arms and easily lifted the smaller man out of his chair then bear hugged him.

"Axel! What the hell?! Let me go!" Zexion kicked violently, though his feet didn't reach the ground because the redhead was still holding him in the air. His arms were pinned due to Axel's hug and no matter how he squirmed he couldn't get loose.

"Nope." A smile stretched across Axel's face and he rocked from side to side slightly. "I'm not letting go until you calm down and tell me what's going on."

Silence filled the dorm as the two seniors remained where they were, Zexion pinned to Axel's chest and held off the ground while the redhead stood there smiling as if he hadn't a care in the world. Eventually, the blue-haired senior sighed and relaxed, giving in.

Axel's smile grew. "Better?"

"Better."

"Are you going to tell me what's wrong?"

Zexion hesitated. "It's nothing, Axel. Really. I'm just letting myself get worked up about something ridiculous."

"I don't care if it's ridiculous, Zex."

"That's because _you're_ ridiculous, you lunatic. Who else bear hugs their roommate into submission just because he's cranky?"

Axel laughed and set the other man down. "True, but no one else would ever get away with it if they tried that on you."

"Yes, you're actually very lucky I haven't used you for a chemistry experiment by now." Zexion's tone was joking as he returned to his desk. Despite his reluctance to talk to the redhead, he was feeling much better than before. Somehow, Axel's bear hug method never failed to cheer him up. "Really, though, I'm okay. I mean, I will be. It's just been a weird few weeks. Everything's going back to normal, I promise."

"If you say so." Proud of himself, Axel flopped back onto his bed and picked up his book. "Otherwise, I'll have to bear hug you again."

"I think I'll pass."

"Aw, don't you like my hugs?"

"Uh, no, they're great," Zexion responded after a moment, letting only a small amount of sarcasm into his tone. Axel laughed at that and Zexion smiled, continuing his homework with less aggravation than before.

At least he'd managed to convince Axel that nothing was wrong.


	22. Chapter 22

"Sora, get dressed. We need to go soon."

"No."

Frowning, Roxas put his hands on his hips and did his best to look irritated despite the costume he was currently wearing. "Look, I understand why you don't want to go, but you can't let Riku stop you from having fun. We've been planning this for weeks, and I am _not_ going by myself dressed like this." He was, of course, referring to the King's Jester costume he'd made specifically to wear to the school's Masquerade Ball. "Besides, you're supposed to be Kairi's date. You can't just not show up."

Sora didn't respond, his figure slumped over his desk as he stared out the window. The party had already started—they had a clear view of it, since it was being held in the school's central courtyard—and he and Roxas were supposed to meet Namine and Kairi in less than ten minutes. He hadn't even gotten his costume out yet.

It was silly, he knew, but he didn't feel like going. All he could think about was how Riku had called the dance a waste of time, and he knew that if he went, then he'd spend the whole time wishing the older boy was there. Of course, if Riku did for some reason decide to go, Sora would then spend the entire dance avoiding him. It was a stupid, painful, vicious cycle and he hated it.

_Stupid Riku…_

Arms wrapped around his shoulders and a cheek nuzzled against his own.

"I miss him, too," Roxas murmured, hugging his twin. As much as he didn't want to admit it, especially after what the older boy had done, he missed him.

Sora sighed, relaxing in his brother's embrace, and smiled a little. "Help me with the face paint?"

"As if I trust you to do it by yourself."

XXX

Nervous but excited and a little impatient, Namine fidgeted with a piece of her hair as she waited with Kairi. The two girls stood just outside the courtyard, listening to the music coming from the dance. They were waiting for Roxas and Sora to arrive so that they could all go into the Masquerade together, but the boys were late.

"There they are," Namine said quietly pointing. The twins were walking towards them from the freshman hall, though the blonde wasn't entirely sure if what they were doing could be considered walking. They both kept tripping and stumbling and clinging to each other as they laughed raucously, the bells on their hats and shoes jingling with every little movement.

_Well, they're certainly playing the part,_ the blonde thought.

"It's about time," Kairi said once the boys reached where she and Namine were standing. "What took you so long?"

Roxas glanced at his twin before replying. "Sora had a bit of trouble with his face paint."

The redhead cast a scrutinizing glance over the twins' matching costumes then smiled, satisfied with their appearance. "You both look fine." She slipped her arm through Sora's. "Shall we?"

Sora gave a lopsided grin and bowed clumsily. "We shall!" Kairi giggled, and she and Sora went into the courtyard together while Roxas and Namine hung back.

"You, uh, look great, Namine," the blond boy mumbled, glancing between his feet and his friend's costume. She was dressed as an angel, snow-white feather wings and all. Namine blushed prettily.

"Thanks. Kairi helped me make it."

Roxas nodded and offered his arm, smiling a little. "We should probably go in before they come looking for us."

Shy, Namine lightly rested her hand on the offered arm and nodded. "Good idea."

The music grew louder as the two friends made their way into the courtyard and joined the throng of students already there. Everyone was dressed up—the Masquerade Ball required a costume for admittance—and Roxas couldn't believe the variety of characters his fellow students had come up with. They all, of course, wore masks to hide their faces.

"How are you supposed to know who anyone is?" Roxas asked, having to put his mouth right next to Namine's ear in order for her to hear him over the music and voices of other students.

The blonde girl giggled. "You can't tell. That's the point."

"Oh." Her explanation made him feel foolish for asking, but he shrugged it off and smiled at her. "Wanna dance?"

"Sure!"

Taking her hand in his own, Roxas led Namine onto the temporary dance floor. The blonds danced together, laughing and talking all the while, glad to just forget about school and have some fun.

XXX

"Do you see them?" Sora asked, going up on his tip-toes in an attempt to spot his twin and friend in the crowd of disguised students. He'd been dancing with Kairi for the past twenty or so minutes, and they had yet to encounter the other two teens.

"No, but I'm getting really thirsty," the redhead replied, also trying to find Roxas and Namine, though she wasn't having any more luck than Sora was.

Turning, Sora smiled at her. "I'll go get you some punch. You keep looking for them."

"But how are you going to find me if I keep looking?" Kairi asked, but the brunette boy had already vanished into the crowd. Shaking her head but smiling, she continued her search for the two blonds.

Sora hummed to himself as he poured two cups of punch, one for himself and one for Kairi. The music so far had been good and he was having a lot of fun despite not having wanted to come to the dance.

"Hey, Sora…"

The brunette froze, the ladle poised in mid-air over the punch bowl as his body tensed. He recognized the voice and instantly knew who it was that had come up behind him, but as glad as he was to hear that voice, he couldn't bring himself to turn around and face the speaker.

_Why is he here? Why does he have to be here?_

"What do you want, Riku?"

A hand touched his shoulder. "Could you please just look at me?"

Sora flinched away from the touch but slowly turned, his eyes lowered. "What?"

"Come on, brat. Don't make me beg. Look at me."

Brat. Of course, he was still going to use that stupid nickname. There was something different about the way he said it this time, though. It was softer, almost…affectionate. The change sparked enough curiosity for Sora to lift his chin and look the older boy in the face. He blinked, surprised.

_Wow…he looks great…_

The silver-haired sophomore was dressed like an old-fashioned gentleman, cane and all. He'd even gelled his hair back, and the silver mask he wore made his green-blue eyes seem even more vivid than normal.

Riku smiled weakly, glad that he'd at least gotten Sora to look at him. "See, that wasn't so hard."

With a shrug, Sora looked away again. "So, what do you want?" He could practically hear the older boy struggling to come up with an answer.

"I…I wanted to apologize, Sora."

Surprised, the brunette looked at the other boy again, this time trying to figure out what Riku was thinking, but the emotion in the older student's eyes was impossible to read.

"I really am sorry for what happened," Riku continued when Sora didn't say anything. He looked back at the younger boy intently, trying to show how sincere he was, wanting him to understand. "I shouldn't have said those things, and I shouldn't have hit you. You had every right to be upset, and I'm really, really sorry if it seems like I don't care about you. I do. I care about you a lot, Sora, because I…you're my friend. You're my best friend, actually, and it sucks not talking to you. I know I said you're annoying and immature and a drama king, but it's really impossible to be mad at you. Even right after we had that fight, I wasn't mad at you. I was mad at myself. It's hell to see you around all the time without talking to you, and I hate P.E. class without having you to compete with."

His face was slowly turning redder and redder behind his mask, he was so embarrassed by everything he was confessing to the boy who was staring at him with his mouth hanging open slightly.

"I haven't even been able to work out on my own because all I can think about is how mean I was to you. Every time I go for a run or anything, I wish I could text you and invite you to come with, and then I think about how you probably wouldn't even answer if I tried to call you, or you'd tell me to go die in a hole or let Roxas answer and chew me out for what I did."

He paused, taking a deep breath after speaking so quickly to get it all out. "So…so I guess really what I mean, Sora, is that I'm sorry, and I…I want to be friends again, and you can hit me whenever I say something mean if you want and I won't do a thing to stop you. Please don't hate me. I…let me try to be as good of a friend to you as you always were to me. Please."

Several moments passed before Sora even realized that his mouth was open, and he quickly closed it, trying to think of something to say in response to Riku's speech. He'd never heard the older boy talk so much at once—usually he was the one doing all the talking while the silver-haired boy listened and occasionally made a sarcastic comment. He wanted to tell him yes, that he forgave him, that he didn't care if Riku was mean to him or if he called him names, that he missed him more than he thought was possible and that he hated not talking to him. But he didn't. He couldn't.

"I…I can't, Riku," he whispered, looking into those teal eyes pleadingly. "I don't hate you, and I want to forgive you, but I'm…I'm scared you'll just do it again, and I don't think I could handle fighting with you like that for a second time."

Riku's shoulders drooped and he lowered his gaze. "Oh…okay…"

God, why did it have to hurt so much to see him sad, even now? Sora bit his lip, wanting to hug the older boy but knowing he shouldn't. "I'm sorry…"

"No, you're right. You have no reason to think I'll be a better friend if you forgive me, but I can try to prove it." He smiled a little, meeting Sora's eyes again. "If you'll let me, I want to earn your friendship back."

Sora smiled and nodded. "I can do that."

Against his better judgment, he went up on the tips of his toes and kissed the older boy on the cheek—thankfully, his face paint hid his blush—then he grabbed the two cups of punch he'd poured and hurried away in search of Kairi, still smiling. Riku looked after him even after the brunette had disappeared from sight, one gloved hand touching the spot where Sora's lips had touched. He was blushing furiously, he knew, but he didn't care. Sora was giving him a chance, and that was all that mattered.

A buzz in his pocket reminded the silver-haired boy of where he was, and he quickly retrieved the cell phone from the inside pocket of his suit jacket. The screen displayed an envelope with "1 New Message" over it and "Kairi" beneath that.

_She must have seen the whole thing._

Embarrassed that there had been witnesses to his confession but still too happy about being given a second chance to really care, he opened the message.

_That was adorable. Way to go, blockhead, you won yourself a second chance. Don't screw it up._

Rolling his eyes and yet still smiling, Riku quickly typed out a reply.

_Stalker. But thanks. Your advice really helped._

He hit send, and Kairi's response reached his phone before he'd even put it back in his pocket.

_I know. You're welcome._

XXX

_He's got to be here somewhere…damn these costumes! I'll never find him at this rate,_ Axel thought, annoyed.

Although he enjoyed the school's annual Halloween Masquerade Ball, he was now beginning to realize that the costumes made it very difficult to find someone specific, especially if you didn't know what they had dressed up as. Axel himself had chosen to dress as a Steampunk Gentleman, complete with a gear monocle and top hat, and he thought he pulled it off rather well.

Just as the senior was about to give up looking for the blond sophomore, he felt a hand on his arm and turned, expecting to see Zexion or Kairi. His face darkened in barely concealed disgust.

"Hello, Axel," Miss Larxene purred, moving to stand in front of him. She wore a low-cut red dress with a fitted bodice, the skirt of which consisted of layers of what looked like ripped lace. Her mask was black with fake diamonds and rubies decorating it and colored feathers extending out of both sides. Black gloves covered her hands and arms up to her elbows and large earrings dangled almost to her shoulders. Her entire neck was encased in a monster of a necklace that didn't look like it allowed for much movement. "You look very handsome this evening."

"Thank you, Miss Larxene," the redhead replied stiffly, looking just to the left of his teacher's face.

"Aren't you going to ask me to dance?" Larxene cooed, her voice making Axel want to shudder.

"I'm sorry, Miss Larxene," he began, though he wasn't sorry at all, "I was actually looking for someone, so if you'll excuse me—"

"I know very well who you were looking for, Axel." The woman's voice had dropped to a dangerous whisper and her grip on his arm turned vice-like. "Don't tell me you're still chasing that blond baby. He's just a boy, Axel, and you need a woman. He can't do any of the things I can."

_That's the point. He's completely different from you, which is why I love him and hate you!_

"I really don't think that's any of your business, Miss Larxene. Now, please let go of me."

Larxene's smile turned poisonous. "It is my business, Axel," she hissed, leaning closer to him. "You're mine, or have you forgotten already?"

The words made Axel's spine go rigid, his self-control turning to iron.

"No, I remember."

"Good. It would be a shame if poor Roxas had to suffer because you had a little lapse in memory."

It was difficult for the redheaded senior to contain himself. He was furious at the woman for even daring to mention the blond sophomore's name, let alone blatantly threaten to harm him if Axel didn't do what she wanted. He didn't think it was possible to hate someone more than he hated Larxene at that moment.

Her smile turning sickly sweet, Miss Larxene put one gloved hand on Axel's cheek and kissed him, her painted red lips pressing against his. The senior froze, letting her kiss him without any response on his part. After a few moments, Larxene pulled away, and her eyes moved to look over the senior's shoulder as something else caught her attention; a smirk replaced the smile and she laughed quietly. Curious as to what she was looking at, Axel turned and immediately wished that he hadn't. Only a few feet away stood Roxas, his blue eyes wide and full of horror at what he'd just witnessed.

_Oh, shit…_

"Roxas," Axel began, pulling away from Larxene as the woman continued to laugh. He stepped towards the sophomore, one hand reaching out to him beseechingly. Roxas backed away, shaking his head, his gaze still locked on the redhead's face.

"No…" he whispered, his words barely audible. "Stay away…"

"Roxas, it's not what you think!" the senior insisted.

"No!" Roxas turned and ran, pushing his way through the students as Axel followed him.

"Roxas!"

XXX

"Hey, Namine!" a voice called over the music, and the blonde girl turned to see Demyx, Ariel, and a boy named Eric coming towards her.

"Hi, Demyx," she replied, smiling. "Wow, great costume." The junior was dressed as a pirate and looked surprisingly fierce for someone Namine knew to be almost as shy as herself.

He beamed, puffing out his chest with pride. "Thanks! Yours is nice, too."

"It's really cute," Ariel added, her arm linked through Eric's. She wore a blue-green sequined dress that had fins going down the sides and a mask that was made out of sea shells and dried coral while Eric was dressed as a sailor from the medieval times. Namine thought their costumes went well together.

"Thanks. I'm actually looking for a friend of mine. His name's Roxas and he's dressed as a King's Jester. Have you seen him?"

The three students shook their heads.

"No, sorry." Demyx smiled. "Are you having fun?"

Namine returned the smile and nodded. "Yeah, I love masquerades. It's fun to try and figure out who's wearing what costume."

The blond junior opened his mouth to respond, but a quiet voice interrupted before he could.

"Excuse me."

Turning, the four teenagers blinked in surprise to see Mister Marluxia standing there, a sheepish smile on his features. The teacher was dressed as the Phantom of the Opera, more specifically in the Phantom's costume for the masquerade scene in the movie. Namine thought he looked amazing, though her attention quickly went to Demyx to see his reaction to the teacher's appearance. Surprisingly, he looked calm and even a little bit pleased to see the pink-haired man.

"Hello, Mister Marluxia," he greeted the teacher, smiling. "Can we help you with something?"

"I wondered if I could trouble you for a dance, Demyx," Marluxia said quietly, his tone and body language betraying how nervous he was about asking. "You have my word that I will not attempt anything dishonorable."

_Uh oh,_ Namine thought, ready to step forward and intervene for Demyx's sake. _This can't be good._

Demyx smiled warmly and nodded, surprising her yet again. "Sure."

Obviously relieved that he hadn't been shunned or attacked, Mister Marluxia offered his arm to the junior and led him out onto the dance floor just as the first slow song of the night began to play.

Fury. How dare he? How dare that bastard teacher go near him, and how dare that idiot junior agree to dance with him?

Eyes narrowed, Zexion watched the student and teacher dance from his place by the pillar. He could see their lips moving but couldn't hear what they were saying, though both males were smiling.

_If he gets himself in trouble with that teacher again, I'm not helping him. I've done my part._

His gaze remained locked on the pair throughout their dance, and he growled quietly when the song ended and Mister Marluxia had the nerve to kiss the blond junior's hand before walking away.

_I'm going to kill him. I'm going to kill them both._

Pushing away from the pillar and pulling his surgical mask up to cover the lower half of his face, the blue-haired senior slipped through the crowd of students until he stood just behind the blond. He grabbed the boy's wrist and practically dragged him off the dance floor, ignoring Demyx's startled yelp and continuing to pull him along even while the blond resisted.

"S-stop! Let me go! Who are you? What do you want?" Demyx struggled to free his wrist from the older boy's grip without success.

Within moments, Zexion had forced him away from the dance and pinned the younger boy against one of the many stone pillars that dotted the school's courtyard.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" the blue-haired senior growled, putting his face mere inches from the blond's. "I didn't stop him from raping you just so you could dance with him like that."

Immediately, Demyx stopped struggling and stared at Zexion in obvious surprise, taking in his Steampunk Scientist costume. "It's you…"

"Yeah, it's me, you idiot. What the hell were you thinking?"

Demyx blinked, unsure of how to respond.

Rolling his eyes, Zexion released the younger boy and crossed his arms over his chest. "I can't even believe I'm here. I'm supposed to be done keeping an eye on you, but I can't seem to resist. And you just keep pulling shit like that, making me think that if I turn my back for even a moment you'll get jumped by the Fine Arts teacher or some other lunatic."

"He wouldn't do that," Demyx mumbled quietly, looking up at the older boy. "He knows how much he was hurting me. He just told me he's sorry."

"Sorry doesn't mean shit if you're getting fucked in the ass by your teacher."

The vulgar language made Demyx flinch visibly, and he looked away so that the angry boy wouldn't see the tears forming under his eyes. "I'm sorry you feel like you have to protect me, but I really don't think Mister Marluxia will try to do anything to me after what you said to him. And I'm grateful for your help. No one ever tried to help me before you, even if they knew what was happening." His voice trembled slightly as he spoke, betraying the fact that he was trying not to cry.

Instantly, all of Zexion's anger abandoned him and was replaced with guilt at having upset the person he'd spent so much energy trying to protect.

"Hey, don't cry, Demyx. Seriously. I didn't mean it. You're not an idiot, and I don't really think Mister Marluxia would do that to you. Please don't cry." Shit, what was he supposed to do now? He could handle threatening teachers and it had been easy enough to lecture the blond about being a nuisance, but the moment that kid's lip quivered and his eyes started to water, Zexion was lost. He didn't know how to deal with tears.

"S-sorry," the blond sniffled, hastily wiping at his eyes. "I just didn't think I was ever going to get to thank you for helping me, and then I caused you even more trouble. You must think I'm completely useless."

"No, no, I don't think you're useless, Demyx. I promise."

Hesitant, Zexion pulled the surgical mask down to hang around his neck and cupped the younger boy's face in his hands, lifting his chin so he could look at his eyes. They were green, a darker shade than Axel's, and Zexion thought he could stare at them forever.

_Beautiful…_

Before the senior realized what he was doing, he leaned forward and kissed the blond, still looking into those eyes as they widened and Demyx's face turned pink. After a moment, Zexion's body pressed against the younger boy and his eyes closed, and still he continued to kiss him, not caring that someone might see or that he'd sworn that he would never let his emotions get the better of him. His tongue slipped out, tasting the blond's lips before slipping between them to gently explore the mouth beyond. To his delight, he heard a soft moan come from the younger student and felt hands grab onto his lab coat

And, by god, his taste.

Zexion didn't think he would ever get enough. He kissed the boy harder, hearing another moan, and opened his eyes to see that Demyx's had fallen shut. That was pleasing and disappointing at the same time—the blond looked like he was enjoying the kiss, but Zexion wanted to see the color of his eyes again.

_Jesus, what am I doing?!_

Suddenly coming to his senses, Zexion pulled his mouth from the blond's and pushed himself away, blue eyes wide. He was panting lightly, as was Demyx, and the younger boy was looking at him in confusion.

"I…I'm sorry…" he stuttered, shocked and angry with himself for losing control the way he had. Then he turned and fled, leaving Demyx alone by the pillar.

_What the hell is wrong with me? I just kissed him, completely out of nowhere! And I _liked _it!_

Mortified, Zexion hurried back to the senior dorm hall and locked himself in his room then collapsed onto his bed, his face in his hands. Now what was he supposed to do?


	23. Chapter 23

"Roxas!" Sora called, worried and a little desperate but trying to stay calm. "Roxas, where are you?"

_Where the hell is he?_ The blond hadn't answered his phone any of the times Sora, Namine and Kairi had tried to call him, and no one had seen him in over an hour. They'd already checked the dorm with no luck, and Sora was starting to really worry about his twin. He couldn't figure out why Roxas would leave the dance without telling anyone, especially considering how responsible he usually was.

"Sora, did you find him yet?" he heard Kairi's voice from across the courtyard. The Masquerade was over and the other students had left a while ago, many of whom had gone to the after party Sora, Roxas, Kairi and Namine were supposed to attend. Except they had no idea where Roxas was.

"No!" the brunette called back. This whole thing would be easier if the lights hadn't turned off and they could actually see. "Roxas, seriously, where are you?"

"Sora…here…"

Whirling around, Sora searched for the sound of the voice. "Rox?" His eyes already adjusted to the dark, he moved towards where he thought the sound had come from and managed to spot the form of someone sitting among a few bushes. Relief flooded him and he tackled the blond, hugging him tightly.

"Don't ever scare me like that again," he commanded quietly, nuzzling into Roxas' neck. "Okay?"

Roxas smiled weakly and wrapped his arms around his brother's waist. "Okay. I promise." It hadn't been his intention to upset Sora, but then, the only thing he'd been trying to do when he hid in the bushes was escape Axel, and it had worked. The redheaded senior hadn't been able to find him, and none of the school's other students had noticed him in his hiding place.

"Why are you hiding like this, Rox? Did something happen?" Sora asked quietly without lifting his head from his brother's shoulder. He knew something was wrong; he could feel Roxas trembling slightly, and the blond was tense. It had to be something serous for him to hide the way he was.

Hesitating, Roxas rested his cheek on Sora's shoulder. "You…you know that guy, Axel?"

"Yeah, what about him?"

"He was here for the dance. I saw him and I was going to tell him that I finished reading my copy of Pride and Prejudice, since he wanted to borrow it." He stopped, his grip on Sora tightening.

"Roxas?"

"Before I got to him, he…I mean, I saw him…" The words stuck in his throat. It should have been easy for him to say it, that he'd seen Axel kissing Miss Larxene, but it wasn't. Even though it shouldn't have bothered him at all, it did. He knew Sora was waiting for him to finish, and even though he didn't want to say it, he forced the words out. "I saw him kissing Miss Larxene."

There was a moment of silence as Sora registered what his brother had just said.

"You saw him doing _what?"_

Roxas' face was a dark red, though he knew it was impossible for Sora to tell. "I—I saw him and I just turned and ran. He followed me, but, Sora, I couldn't look at him after that. I ran from him and I hid here and I haven't been able to move since." It was silly, he knew, but he hadn't been able to conjure up the willpower to leave his place in the bushes. Maybe he would have, if it wasn't so easy to sit in the darkness and pretend it hadn't happened.

"Okay, I get you being freaked out by seeing a teacher kiss a student cause that's really weird, but I don't see why you're still hiding," Sora admitted after a few moments, sitting up but not letting go of the blond. "I mean, you don't even like Axel. Who cares who he kisses?"

"Not me. I don't care one bit who that jerk does anything with." Roxas' tone was firm as he spoke. "It's just that he's still been trying to talk to me, you know? He's spent all year hitting on me and trying to get on my good side, but then he does that…what am I supposed to think? Does he really like me, or am I just the cute new kid he wants to add to his list of conquests?" The blond sighed and leaned against his brother, closing his eyes. "I don't know what to think."

The brunette sighed and pulled away so he could at least attempt to read his brother's face, though that wasn't easy considering how dark it was in the bushes. "We'll just have to wait and see, Rox. Maybe he doesn't think kisses mean anything important. Some people are like that."

"Yeah…okay." He sounded doubtful, and Sora ruffled his hair with a grin.

"Cheer up, Roxy. We've got a party to attend, and you're not allowed to be a downer the whole time." Standing, the brunette pulled his brother to his feet and slung an arm around the blond's shoulders. "Found him! He's fine!"

Roxas stared at his curly-toed shoes as Namine and Kairi hurried over, both looking relieved that he wasn't hurt. They were using their cell phones to light up the ground so they wouldn't trip, and aimed the dim glow towards Sora and Roxas as soon as they were close enough.

"Where were you?" Namine asked, still dressed as an angel; she reached out and brushed a few bits of grass from Roxas' sleeve.

"I…"

"He was sleeping," Sora cut in, speaking quickly so the two girls wouldn't hear the hesitation in Roxas' voice. "Right, Rox?"

"Oh, um, yes. I was tired from dancing and decided to sit down. Guess I was more tired than I thought." The blond's cheeks even turned an embarrassed shade of pink, adding to the ruse. He was still looking down at his feet and pretended to yawn quietly, as if he'd just woken up.

Kairi was skeptical. "If you say so. Let's just go change so we can get to the party." The other three students nodded and began to split up to head back to their respective dorms, though Kairi caught Sora's hand before the brunette had gone very far. He turned to look at her, curious as to why she'd stopped him, and she leaned close to him.

"Nice job with Riku," she whispered in his ear, "but I don't believe you about Roxas." Then she released him and ran off after Namine to catch up with her blonde cousin, leaving Sora to stare after her before he hurried after Roxas.

He didn't think he was ever going to get used to the way she always seemed to know everything.

XXX

Laughter, loud music and snatches of conversation bombarded Demyx's ears as he wandered through the crowded house. This was the first after party he'd ever bothered to visit while attending Kingdom High, and he had already decided it would be his last. Nothing about the drinking, smoking and dancing attracted him—he was much too shy for this—but he had to try. Maybe, just maybe, he'd be here.

The blond junior made his way from room to room, his hope dwindling with each failure.

_This is useless. I barely know what he looks like. I don't even know his name! How on earth am I supposed to find him?_

But he couldn't give up, no matter how pointless his efforts might be. He refused to leave the party without being sure that the blue-haired boy wasn't there, and continued to search each room of the house.

In all honesty, Demyx didn't know what he would do if he managed to find the blue-haired boy. What could he do? He'd only talked to him twice, and had been lectured both times, but it was the second time that drove him to search for the stranger. He had to find him; he had to know. A kiss like that couldn't mean nothing, and the blond was determined to find out what that kiss had meant. Even though he had no idea how to bring it up if he found the older student.

It had been a shock, finding himself suddenly pressed against a tree with the stranger not quite yelling at him but definitely very upset, and then he'd felt guilty for being such a burden and did his best to apologize while trying not to cry. The next thing he'd known he was being kissed, and despite the fact that it had been unexpected and even a little rough, he'd liked it, which was strange. The kisses he'd gotten from Mister Marluxia had sometimes been a little rough, but he'd never liked those, and he'd certainly never wanted to see the teacher any time soon after. That kiss at the dance was different, it was special, and he _needed_ to know why the older boy had done it.

If Demyx didn't find out, he'd drive himself crazy thinking about it, and so he kept looking.

Things were getting out of hand in a hurry.

"Just let me talk to him! I can explain!"

"No! He doesn't want to see you, so go away!" Huffing angrily, Sora stood his ground between his brother and the redheaded jerk who had caused so much trouble in only a few months. Axel knew he could force his way past the sophomore, but he also knew that doing so would only make his situation with Roxas even worse, so he held back.

"Please, I need to talk to him. I know he saw, and it wasn't what he thinks. Honest. If you'd just let me talk to him—"

"I already told you, no! Now back off before I make you!"

Surprised by the threat, Axel took a step back and stared at the brunette boy. He'd never seen him so angry before, but that wasn't surprising. Usually, Sora was the happiest person around and was enthusiastic about just about everything, at least, that was the only side of him Axel had seen. Regardless, his current anger was completely understandable. If Axel'd had a twin—or even a sibling, for that matter—he certainly wouldn't let anyone hurt them, and he knew he had hurt Roxas more times than the blond deserved. None of those times had been intentional, but that didn't matter. He was still going to try to apologize, but he had to be calm about it or Sora would get even angrier, and the senior had no doubt the smaller boy would carry out his threat.

"Come on, Sora. Just let me talk to him," Axel beseeched, his hands held out with his palms up in a begging gesture. "He doesn't have to talk back and you can stand there and watch me the whole time. If I do anything you don't like you can throw me out and I'll stop bothering you. Just let me tell him what happened. Let me explain."

Unsure, Sora glanced to where Kairi and Namine were standing with Roxas a few feet behind him then back to Axel as he considered what the senior had said. "Roxas? You okay with that?"

The blond shook his head and spoke quietly. "No. I don't want to hear anything about it, not right now. Go enjoy the party, Axel. A good time's all you really want, anyway, and I want to try and have fun at this party without it ending like the last one."

Axel sighed but nodded, dropping his hands, and forced himself to hide the hurt Roxas' accusation caused. "Okay, okay. I'll leave you alone. But, if you want to know the truth, Roxas, all you have to do is ask." Resigned to being on the blond's bad side once again, he turned and walked off into the crowd of students.

Why did this keep happening!? Every time he managed to make a little bit of progress, that slut came along and ruined everything! Axel wouldn't have been surprised if someone told him the math teacher was stalking him solely for the purpose of being able to make him look like an ass in front of Roxas. She certainly wasn't unhappy when she did manage to do so.

Sighing again, Axel tried to decide if he wanted to drink or not. It hadn't ended well last time—unless stealing a kiss from Roxas could be considered a good consequence of drinking—so he forwent the alcohol. That meant he had no reason to stay at the party. The only purpose parties like this one served was to provide an opportunity to flirt and drink, and if he wasn't going to be doing either of those, then he might as well head back to campus and get some rest. Besides, Zexion had vanished partway through the dance and Axel wanted to know why. If he had to guess, he'd say the shorter senior had gotten bored and left, but that didn't explain why he'd never shown up to the after party.

Curious now, the redhead made his way out of the house and began the walk back towards Kingdom High's campus, his hands in his pockets. After he talked to Zexion, he was going to have to spend some time memorizing those lists Kairi had given him so he could try to fix things. Again.

XXX

Several empty beer bottles sat on the table, along with a few bowls of chips and some salsa. Crumbs were scattered everywhere, even on the floor, but the three adults sitting around the table didn't appear to notice or care. There had been more teachers present, but now the only ones left were Professor Luxord, Mister Marluxia, and Miss Larxene. It would seem like an odd gathering to anyone else, but these particular teachers were used to each other's company, even though they might not prefer it. Luxord and Marluxia certainly weren't what either male would call "pleased" that Larxene had chosen to stay after Xigbar, Xaldin, Vexen and Lexeaus had gone.

"It's just not fair," Professor Luxord muttered, for what must have been the sixth time. Cards lay before him from the forgotten game of poker they'd been playing, and he was staring into the empty brown bottle captured in his long-fingered grasp. "They train us to educate children, and we think we can do it, no problem. Then they stick us in a classroom with hormone-driven teenagers who dress and act the way they do because they want people to look and notice them, but if we notice, that's a big no-no. We get in trouble, we lose our jobs, maybe get arrested. Can't look, definitely can't touch. Can't even tell them to dress different cause that means we were looking. It's a broken system."

"You have better restraint than I have, Luxord," the other man at the table commented, his speech clear. Marluxia didn't particularly enjoy beer and so hadn't consumed any, making him the soberest of the three adults. "At least you resist the temptation. My self-control is not as strong as yours."

An uncharacteristic giggle escaped Larxene as she covered her mouth with one gloved hand. "You wouldn't sound so gloomy if you got away with it. Got caught with your hand in the cookie jar, Marluxia?"

The art teacher's face turned almost the same shade of pink as his hair. "I hardly think you have any right to lecture me, Miss Larxene, considering your little scandal with that boy a few years ago."

Blue-ish green eyes narrowing, Larxene glared at the effeminate man as Luxord chuckled; she turned her gaze on the blond. "And just what are you laughing at, Luxord? Your eye wanders over your students faster than anyone's."

That shut him up. "At least I haven't done any more than look." He didn't mention the fact that Kairi had kissed him only a week ago. After all, that had been her choice, not his, so technically he hadn't done anything. "I'm not the one seducing some innocent kid."

It was Larxene's turn to laugh. Axel was anything but innocent—she'd made sure of that, but of course, Luxord didn't know that. "Who says I seduced anyone? If you remember, that scandal turned out to be nothing but rumors."

"Just because they couldn't prove anything doesn't mean you didn't do anything," Marluxia said quietly, looking at the blonde woman through his bangs. Her face turned red, though that was partially from the alcohol she'd already had, and she stood.

"At least I'm not lying about my age just to get a job, Marluxia. Headmaster Xemnas hired me because I'm a skilled mathematician and I can pass my knowledge onto my students for them to use in the future. You're nothing more than a has-been star who failed to keep up with the competition."

Offended, the pink-haired teacher stood as well to put himself eye-level with Larxene, his posture tense as if he wanted to slap her but was resisting with everything he had. "You know nothing about me, Miss Larxene," he said quietly, everything about him radiating a cold fury. "I would suggest you deal with your own skeletons before you try to dig up mine."

Larxene opened to mouth to reply and at that moment, someone knocked at the door to Luxord's quarters.

"Come in," the blond man called, leaning back in his chair lazily as he glanced at the clock on the wall. Who on earth would show up at this time of night?

Marluxia and Larxene sat again and the three teachers listened as the door opened and two sets of footprints entered Luxord's dwelling. They were all rather shocked when they saw who it was that had chosen to visit.

"Headmaster Xemnas, what brings you hear?" The blond professor was painfully aware of how unprofessional he looked, sitting at a table covered in empty beer bottles and snack crumbs. "I uh, wasn't expecting anyone else to come by so late."

Smiling slightly, the silver-haired man surveyed the mess that was Luxord's kitchen then examined the three teachers before him. His secretary, Saix, stood just behind him, his scarred face visible over Xemnas' shoulder.

"I just thought I'd drop by and offer my compliments on the costumes you wore to the Masquerade." His voice was almost a purr, seductive and deadly. "Though it seems I was not the only one to notice your…talents."

The teachers glanced at each other nervously.

"Talents, Headmaster?" Marluxia ventured, suddenly very glad that he hadn't been drinking like his two companions. Dealing with Xemnas was hard enough when one was sober; he couldn't imagine trying to do it with alcohol in his system.

"Yes, my dear Mister Marluxia, your talents. Talents that, I'm afraid, are being put to use in a less than appropriate way."

"Less than appropriate? What do you mean?" Larxene asked, frowning slightly as she gazed up at the imposing form of her boss.

"I'm sure you're aware, Miss Larxene, that I keep a very close eye on my employees, and all three of you seem to have trouble keeping yourselves separate from our students here at Kingdom High Boarding School."

Luxord blinked. "Keeping ourselves separate? Headmaster Xemnas, what are you talking about?"

The smile on the headmaster's face turned cold and a little sadistic. "Professor Luxord, you have in one of your history classes a student named Kairi, do you not?"

_Oh, shit. This is not good._

There was little he could do except play innocent and hope it worked. "Yes, Kairi is in my history class. Has she done something wrong?"

Xemnas didn't answer, instead turning his ocher gaze on Larxene. "And I would be correct in assuming you are familiar with a senior called Axel, Miss Larxene?"

The woman's eyes darted towards Luxord and Marluxia before she replied. "Yes, he's in my calculus class."

"And Mister Marluxia is, of course, aware of our school's budding young musician, Demyx," the headmaster went on as if Larxene hadn't said a word. Marluxia simply nodded, reluctant to open his mouth and say something condemning.

Headmaster Xemnas' smile grew slightly. "Good. You should all be aware that I know about everything that goes on in my school, and I know exactly what you have and have not been doing with the students I just named. If the three of you wish to keep your jobs then you will have to pay a price."

All three teachers paled visibly, and Marluxia looked like he was going to be sick. Xemnas and Saix watched their reactions with expressions of satisfaction, as if that fear was exactly what both men had wanted to see.

"What," Luxord had to pause to swallow since his throat had gone dry, "What price?"

"That will be decided only if you choose to continue your current behaviors. If you decide to cease all inappropriate relations with students and can prove that you have done so, I will allow you to continue to work for me. Otherwise, I will come up with some suitable way for you to earn the right to keep your jobs. Think hard on which you wish to do. Let's go, Saix."

"Yes, Headmaster Xemnas."

The two men exited the apartment as quietly as they'd entered it, leaving Luxord, Marluxia and Larxene sitting in stunned silence for several moments. Then Larxene stood, gathered her things, and silently left. Marluxia soon did the same, and then Luxord was alone. He was trembling, Xemnas' words running through his mind over and over again.

Continue his actions and pay a price or stop and prove he'd stopped. That was a rather unfair choice, considering he hadn't done anything. Of course, it could be argued that he could do more to prevent such behavior from being directed at him by students. One student in particular.

He couldn't figure out how Headmaster Xemnas knew anything about his troubles pertaining to the redheaded sophomore. They'd been alone when she'd kissed him, and there were no windows in his office or classroom that would have allowed anyone to peek in on them. Other than the kiss, he'd done nothing that could be considered inappropriate.

It was quiet as he sat there, half-drunk and half-asleep, his thoughts wandering about with no clear direction or goal. He thought about the dance, remembered seeing that little flirt in her she-devil costume, all dressed in red with horns and a tail and lipstick the color of blood. The way she'd danced, just because she knew he was watching, and winked and licked her lips and blew kisses at him, taunting, teasing, her every move inviting him to dance when she knew he couldn't.

_Little minx…she'll be the death of me…_

If Headmaster Xemnas didn't kill him first, of course.

The empty beer bottle clinked softly when he set it on the table, just one part of the mess he was going to have to clean up in the morning. For some reason, the other teachers always ended up at his quarters after school-wide events. They drank, they played cards, they talked about the event and the students, occasionally there were arguments—never anything worth mentioning afterwards—and then they all went back to their own rooms and he was left with a mess and a headache to deal with the next day.

The process was irritating, but at the moment he really didn't have the energy or focus to care, so he left the mess his kitchen had become and forced himself down the hall to his bedroom. He undressed in a haze then practically collapsed onto his bed without bothering to crawl under the blankets. In only a few moments he'd fallen asleep, his dreams plagued by a she-devil that offered him nothing but trouble but somehow made trouble sound irresistible despite the nagging little Xemnas that rode on his shoulder. It wasn't a very peaceful night for the history professor.


	24. Chapter 24

This was bad. This was very, very bad.

It was quiet in the dorm room as Zexion sat up in bed, his breathing uneven and his body warmer than he would like it to be, especially just after taking a nap. Outside the window, the sun was low but not yet setting, and soon his stomach would begin to demand dinner, but the senior had no desire to eat. He just wanted to fall back asleep and never wake up.

How could he have let this happen? How could he have _done_ that? It wasn't like him at all and he didn't like it one bit. All his life he'd believed that science held all the answers, that everything was calculable and emotion was something to be controlled by logic. But there was no logic in what he'd done—there was very little logic in what he'd been doing for the last few weeks. His emotions had gotten the better of him and for a few moments they'd controlled him completely. It was something he'd never wanted to experience and yet, despite how upset he was with himself, he didn't regret it.

No matter how hard he tried, Zexion couldn't force himself to regret kissing Demyx, and it was driving him insane. Especially because now he had to admit that Axel had been right when the redhead asked if Zexion was spending so much time in the library because he had a crush on someone. He would only admit that to himself, of course. Axel's ego didn't need to be pumped up any bigger than it already was.

Sighing, the blue-haired senior lay back on his bed and looked up at the ceiling with his hands tucked under his head. The gray-speckled white was blurry to his tired eyes, and he willed himself to fall back asleep. He hadn't slept well since that night almost a week ago, and it was definitely affecting him, so an afternoon nap would be fantastic.

As he lay there, he caught himself thinking about the kiss, and worse, wanting to do it again. It upset him, but he couldn't say he was surprised. If he let his mind wander even a little it inevitably made a beeline for the memory of pushing Demyx against the tree, touching his face, pressing against him. Kissing him. And he always felt a desire to do it again no matter how many times he told himself that he shouldn't want such a thing. He'd taken to keeping himself even busier just to keep his mind from going back to that moment.

Unfortunately, he couldn't seem to avoid seeing the blond around campus and after several incidents of almost being recognized, he'd started to leave his room only for classes and meals. Still, those few moments had granted Zexion a peek into the younger student's life, and the things he'd learned from those times, in addition to what he already knew from all the hours he'd spent in the library, only made his daydreams more realistic.

The worst part, though, were the dreams. They were infuriating—he was already having a hard time falling asleep in the first place, but then when he did manage to drift off, he was plagued by dreams of the blond junior. Sometimes they were simple, nothing more than the two students sitting together reading, and other times they were just about as far from innocent as they could get.

He'd just woken from one such dream a few minutes ago, and, much to his embarrassment, found that his body had reacted quite strongly to the provocative images his subconscious decided to conjure up. Zexion turned onto his side and tried to be optimistic about his situation; at least Axel hadn't been in the room to see the whole thing.

_I've got to stop this,_ he told himself firmly, shutting his eyes in the hopes that he might manage to doze off again. _This is ridiculous. He's just some kid. I saw Marluxia hurting him and I made sure it won't happen again. There wasn't supposed to be anything emotional about this, just simple right and wrong, yet here I am struggling just to control myself! He doesn't even know my name! There's no reason for me to dream about him, or to think about him at all. I did what I set out to do and now it's time to move on. No more dreams or letting my imagination get away from me._

Several minutes passed and still he didn't manage to fall asleep. God, it was hopeless. How was he supposed to control his dreams, anyway? And what if he woke up like that while Axel was in the room? What if Axel _saw?_ Zexion knew he wouldn't be able to look his friend in the face for weeks if that happened. He could barely even acknowledge the fact that he'd woken up with something he never thought he'd experience just because of a dream.

To his immense embarrassment, the senior had experienced more erections in the last week than the rest of his life combined, and every single one of them had been caused by thoughts of Demyx.

As he lay on his bed, Zexion heard the door open and footsteps enter the room, then the door closed and someone moved around quietly. He pretended to be asleep in the hopes that Axel wouldn't try to talk to him so that he wouldn't have to act like he was paying attention.

"Knock it off. I know you're awake."

Damn it.

"I'm trying to take a nap." That was true enough, and Zexion certainly didn't want to explain everything to the other boy.

"Why?"

It was difficult to keep from being sarcastic. "I'm tired. It's been a rough week." That was a poor choice of words—his mind immediately rocketed towards several of the dreams about Demyx and he couldn't help but think how rough he'd like to be with the blond if he had the chance.

_No, no, none of that. _Zexion forced the images from his head and slowed his breathing to halt his body's reaction.

"Dude, you okay? You made a weird noise."

_Oh, for fuck's sake!_

Had he really let a sound escape during that mini-fantasy for Axel to hear? Apparently, he had. Zexion sighed and sat up, rubbing his face. If he was going to be embarrassed, he may as well get it all out now and get it over with.

"No, I'm not okay. I'm losing it." He looked up at the redhead and knew he must look like death. His hair was messy from the nap he'd taken, his eyes were blood shot and there were dark circles under them from lack of sleep, making him look even paler than he was.

Concern softened Axel's features and he sat on his roommate's bed. "You look awful, Zex. What's wrong?"

"I…I think I like someone. A lot." He didn't meet the other senior's eyes as he spoke, choosing instead to look at the plain black comforter draped over his lap. It was such an inadequate description of the emotions he'd been experiencing, like calling a missing limb nothing more than a flesh wound. What he should have said was that he was obsessed, that he was losing sleep and would eventually lose his mind if he didn't find a way to overcome this disaster.

Axel smiled at his friend's confession. "You have a crush? That's great! Surprising, but hey, at least now we know you're capable of feelings!" He was trying to tease Zexion into smiling or laughing or even making some sarcastic response, but none of those things happened, and his smile slipped. "It is a good thing, right?"

Shaking his head, the blue-haired senior took a deep breath. "He doesn't even know my name, Axel. Ugh, that's such a cliché thing to say, but it's true. I purposefully made sure he doesn't know who I am, but I know so much about him it's boarder line creepy. I want him to know my name. No, I want more than that. A lot more. I want _him,_ and the knowledge that I can't have him is killing me."

Whoa, that had to be the most he'd ever heard Zexion say at once without it being about homework. It was obvious to Axel that his friend was seriously upset, but he wasn't entirely sure how to approach the situation. He'd never had to help the other senior with relationship problems.

"Why can't you have him?"

"Because he doesn't want me, so there's no point in thinking about him. But that's all I can do, Axel." Zexion looked up at the redhead and for a moment Axel thought the shorter boy might actually cry. "No matter how hard I try, I can't get him out of my head."

In the most soothing tone he could manage, Axel tried to comfort his roommate. "Maybe that's because he's supposed to be there, Zexion. Maybe you're wrong, and he does like you back. If you like him as much you say you do, then just ask him. What's the worst that can happen?"

_He could rip my heart out and smash it to pieces. He could laugh in my face and leave me to be miserable for the rest of my life. He could make a laughing stock of me and tell the whole school about my pathetic attempt to confess to him._

Even though Zexion knew the quiet blond would never do anything so mean, he couldn't help but fear that he would. "There's no point. Why would anyone as sensitive and talented as him be interested in someone as cold and calculating as me? Besides, I yelled at him the only times I've ever talked to him. I wouldn't like me, if I was him."

Axel ran a hand through his hair then settled on the bed comfortably, leaning back against the wall. "Stop, back up, and start from the beginning. Who is this kid, anyway?"

The blue-haired senior turned and mimicked the other boy's position. "A junior named Demyx. He's a music student."

"And how did you meet him?"

This was going to be fun to explain. "I saw Mister Marluxia harassing him at the homecoming dance."

Caught off-guard, Axel paused for a moment. "Define harassing."

"I was bored so I decided to walk around for a bit, and I saw Marluxia kissing Demyx and touching him inappropriately." Heavy guilt layered Zexion's tone. "The kid was crying and asking him to stop and I didn't do a thing. I just walked away. Even if he does like me, he shouldn't, and if he knew about that, he'd hate me."

As much as he didn't want to admit it, Axel had to agree somewhat to that assumption, but he held his tongue to avoid upsetting the Zexion more than he already was. "Then what?"

"I felt like an ass for not doing anything, so I kept an eye on him. I thought that if I was there to stop it from happening again, then I could redeem myself for the first time. That's why I was in the library all the time—Demyx studies there almost every day."

"So I was right."

"Partially. I didn't like him yet, so you were wrong to think I had a crush on someone."

"What happened after that?"

"You know how Professor Vexen lets me use the lab outside of class time?"

"Yeah."

"I was running late after that one day, and when I got to the library, Demyx wasn't there. He should have been there for a while by then, so I decided to go check if he was practicing in the music room. I found Marluxia kissing him in one of those little side hallways. Demyx was crying, and Marluxia was about to molest him or something. I don't even know what I was thinking. I lost it. I punched Marluxia and shoved him as hard as I could, then I threatened to kill him if he ever bothered Demyx again, and he left. Then I yelled at Demyx for being a burden even though I knew it wasn't his fault, and I left him there."

It was quiet for a few moments before Axel suddenly burst out laughing. Zexion jumped, startled by the loud noise, and stared at the redhead in bewilderment.

"What the hell are you laughing about? This is serious!"

"I'm sorry," the tall boy gasped, still laughing. "I'm just trying to picture you hitting a teacher and threatening him. You, the ultimate teacher's pet! What did you even say you'd do to him?"

Zexion blushed lightly. "I told him I'd use acid to melt his skin off then let him suffer and bleed to death."

The redhead's laughing returned full force, and Zexion couldn't help but chuckle a little.

"That's exactly the kind of thing you would do," Axel eventually managed to say as he regained control of his breathing. "And I bet Marluxia just about pissed himself."

"I certainly hope so." The blue-haired senior adjusted the blanket over his lap. "Anyway, I kept an eye on Demyx after that just to be safe, and then I saw him dance with Marluxia at the Masquerade Ball."

"Wait, wait, wait," Axel interrupted, frowning. "This kid willingly danced with the teacher you had to save him from? Are you serious?"

"Yes, and you wouldn't believe how angry it made me."

"I can imagine. I'd have been pissed if I was you."

Zexion nodded; he'd been pissed, all right. "The moment the song ended and Mister Marluxia walked away, I grabbed Demyx and dragged him away from the dance. I yelled at him again because I was angry, but all he did was thank me for stopping Marluxia that day. He even apologized for causing me trouble, and he was crying because he felt bad! I've never felt like a bigger ass than I did right then."

"Please tell me you didn't just leave him there," Axel said, looking at his roommate as he waited for a response.

"No, I didn't. I felt bad for the things I'd said, so I apologized and told him I didn't mean any of it. I wanted to make him feel better, so I made him look at me so he would know how serious I was, but then…" The blue-haired senior trailed off, embarrassed and distracted by the memory. Demyx's dark green eyes, full of unshed tears, filled his mind's eye, and he felt the overwhelming urge to kiss him all over again.

"But then, what?" the other boy prodded, nudging Zexion with his elbow.

"I kissed him."

"You _what?"_

Immediately, Zexion drew his knees to his chest and hid his face in his hands so that he wouldn't have to see the shock and disbelief in Axel's expression. He didn't want to have to explain himself, didn't want to try and make Axel understand how he felt. All he'd wanted was to go back to sleep, and he couldn't even do that, especially now that he'd told Axel everything. A hand settled on his shoulder, making Zexion lift his head and look at the other boy.

"It's okay," Axel assured him, smiling slightly. "There's nothing wrong with kissing the person you like." His tone turned wistful. "Hell, you've spoken to this kid twice and you've made a lot more progress than I have with Roxas in the last four months. How'd he react when you kissed him?"

"I don't know. I guess he liked it. I mean, he didn't stop me, and he pulled me closer. Then I realized what I was doing and stopped. I didn't know what to say after that, so I left."

Axel looked at the ceiling ponderously. "And you haven't spoken to him since?"

"No, but I've seen him around, and I can't stop thinking about him. I can't fall asleep, and if I do, I just wake up from the dreams."

Part of Axel wanted to know what kind of dreams Zexion was talking about, but he had a feeling he didn't really want to hear. "All right, then I only have one piece of advice for you."

"What?"

"Tell him."

"No!"

"Yes. I know you don't want to, but if you're this messed up over that kiss, and it was your idea, then think about how confused Demyx must be. Try to imagine being in his position, Zex. A stranger saved you from being assaulted, then that same stranger kissed you, and you liked it, but you have no idea who he is. You'd want to know his name, and don't try to deny it." The expression on Axel's face was triumphant as he watched Zexion consider his words. Finally, the blue-haired senior sighed.

"I guess you're right."

"So you'll tell him it was you?"

"Yeah. I mean, really, what's the worst that could happen?" Zexion offered a weak smile as Axel chuckled and patted his shoulder.

"Exactly. Now, get out of bed and clean yourself up. You look awful, and I'm not gonna go sit by myself at dinner."

With an exaggerated groan and a roll of his eyes, the blue-haired senior forced himself to get up while Axel laughed. Truthfully, talking to the redhead had helped, and he felt much better now that he wasn't keeping everything bottled up anymore. Maybe that was why he'd never gotten tired of the taller boy—Axel just had a way of forcing him to relax. Still, he didn't think he was ready to face Demyx yet. Maybe over the next few days he'd have an opportunity, but not tonight. Tonight he was just going to sleep and for once enjoy the dreams he knew he would have.

XXX

Laughter surrounded the table as Roxas blushed darkly, his eyes glued to his half-eaten burger and fries.

"It's not funny!" the blond sophomore protested, but his friends continued to laugh.

"It is too funny," Sora responded, grinning widely. He was the reason the others were laughing—he'd told them a story about Roxas from when the two brothers were younger and had gotten exactly the reaction he'd wanted.

"Well what about the time you wet your bed and told Mom it was the dog? We didn't even have a dog!"

Now it was Sora's turn to blush as Kairi and Namine giggled. "I was four! Besides, that's not as bad as when you let that stray cat into the house and it climbed up Dad's pant leg, and ripped the curtains, and used Mom's plants for a litter box. I never did anything that bad."

Roxas opened his mouth to argue but stopped, staring at something over Sora's shoulder.

"Would it be all right if I sat with you?" a quiet voice asked, and the other three students turned to look at the speaker. Looking more nervous than any of them had ever seen him, Riku smiled hopefully and shifted his tray of food in his hands. As one, Roxas, Namine and Kairi looked at Sora.

The brunette smiled and gestured to the empty chair next to his own. "Go for it."

Relieved, the silver-haired boy accepted the offered chair and began to eat quietly. An uncomfortable and slightly awkward silence settled over the table as the other four glanced at each other.

"How have you been, Riku?" Kairi asked politely, a small smile curving her lips. She knew exactly how Riku had been, and she was glad that he'd finally gotten up the nerve to join them for dinner, but she also knew that none of the others would be willing to initiate conversation with him.

Riku swallowed his food and shrugged. "Okay. Could be better, but not bad. You?"

"I've been great." She nodded towards the brunette he'd sat by. "Roxas and Sora were just telling me and Namine about some of the trouble they got into as kids. Right, Sora?"

The boy froze as four pairs of eyes landed on him, including the blue-green ones he'd missed so much, and he slowly finished chewing then swallowed before he nodded. "We did some pretty stupid stuff while we were growing up."

"I can believe that about you," the older boy teased, "but I feel like Roxas probably had better sense than you, even you were kids."

Sora rolled his eyes, but he was smiling. "Yeah, but I bet you did dumber stuff than I ever did."

"Doubt it. Between the two of us, you're definitely more ridiculous than I am." Riku was smirking now, that same cocky expression he always had when he was trying to bait the younger boy into challenging him.

"Am not!" Flustered, Sora tried to think of a response that would prove Riku wrong, but couldn't come up with anything. His obvious frustration made Namine and Kairi giggle, and that sound broke what little tension had remained. To everyone's relief, their group felt normal again, and they relaxed in their chairs.

"So," Roxas began, drawing the other students' attention onto himself, "are you still going to do that Slave-for-a-Day thing, Sora? I mean, it was your idea, and you did lose the bet."

"What's Slave-for-a-Day?" Namine asked, looking at Sora curiously as the brunette blushed. Riku's smirk grew.

"He bet me that he would get a higher overall grade for midterms, and the loser had to spend an entire day as the winner's slave. I beat him by one point, so he has to be my slave for one whole day," the silver-haired athlete explained, reaching over and ruffling Sora's hair playfully.

Sora glared and smacked the older boy's hand away, though it was obvious that he was embarrassed, not angry. Seeing this, Riku slung an arm around the brunette's neck and pulled him close, holding him still as he thoroughly mussed the brown spikes. The other three students laughed as Sora struggled, and kept laughing even after Riku had let him go, simply because of the disaster his hair had become. Despite himself, Sora found that he couldn't sulk for more than a few moments before he began to laugh as well.

Finally, after weeks, he felt truly happy. He hadn't quite forgiven Riku, not yet, but it was nice just to feel normal again, and at this rate, he knew he wouldn't be able to hold back for long. All he had to do now was wait for that moment when he could look at the older boy and know without a doubt that he would never lose him again.


	25. Chapter 25

For the first time since Larxene could remember, her blouse was buttoned up to her collarbone, her skirt stopped below her knees rather than above, and she could breathe freely without worrying about popping a button. It would have been pleasant and relaxed, but she found that she was much too warm, and she kept tugging at her blouse without realizing it. All in all, she missed her regular clothes, and being so covered up was making her even more irritable than usual.

Even worse, she couldn't force herself to forget what the headmaster had said that night in Luxord's kitchen.

"_I know exactly what you have and have not been doing with the students I just named."_

So Headmaster Xemnas knew that the so-called scandal hadn't been just rumors, or he was bluffing and pretending to know. Miss Larxene didn't dare to ignore his warning, but she had no desire to stop pursuing Axel, not after all this time. Then again, Xemnas' offer to allow them to pay him to keep quiet wasn't exactly tempting. Anything the headmaster would accept as payment certainly wouldn't be easy to give, and Larxene had kept herself awake at nights trying to figure out what sort of payment he would suggest appropriate for the circumstances.

Just in case, she had decided to stop openly flirting with the senior, and was forcing herself to dress more modestly, though that didn't mean she was finished with him. No, every bone in her body was determined to make Axel hers, and to show that blond brat his place in this school. She just had to find a way to do it without giving Headmaster Xemnas reason to suspect what she was doing.

The combination of having to dress differently and the strain of not having enough sleep had made Larxene short-tempered. Today was not a good day to get on her bad side, and the students in her first hour class had been smart enough to sit quietly through her lecture. As much as she wanted to let her bad mood out on someone, no one had given her the opportunity. But she knew it would happen eventually; all she had to do was wait for an excuse.

Larxene remained at her desk as the students of her second hour class filed into the room and took their seats. She didn't feel up to giving a lecture over calculus, not with how tired she was, but that was easy enough to deal with. Her students weren't going to like it, but she didn't care.

Everything was quiet, the teacher waiting for the bell to ring, the students examining her modest attire with curiosity. She avoided looking at two students in particular, knowing it would only make her mood worse if she paid too much attention to either Axel or Roxas. All she would be able to think about was Xemnas' threat, so she kept her gaze directed towards the clock on the wall.

The ring of the bell echoed through the empty hallways, and Miss Larxene stood. A moment passed as she surveyed the students before her, then she opened one of the desk's drawers and took out a stack of papers.

"Pop quiz," she announced tonelessly, her expression blank and bored.

Several students had to catch themselves and hold back groans. Any reaction to the news of a pop quiz in Miss Larxene's class usually didn't go over very well. This being the case, the students were silent as the blonde woman passed out the papers.

"Any talking will result in a detention. If I think you are cheating and you are unable to prove yourself innocent, you will be given a detention. Complaining will also earn a detention."

That was a little extreme, even for a teacher as strict as Larxene usually was. Clearly, she had no patience that day and was not to be trifled with. Once the quizzes were distributed, she returned to her desk and sat, tugging at her blouse absent-mindedly.

"Your desks should be clear except for the quiz, your pencil, and a calculator. Begin."

Immediately, the silence was replaced by the scratch of pencils, the click of calculator keys, and the shuffle of papers. The students worked quickly, as was expected of them, and Larxene watched them closely from her place at the front of the room. Minutes dragged by, slowly whittling away at the amount of time the teenagers had to work out the equations they'd been given.

It was obvious to Axel that Miss Larxene was genuinely pissed about something. She hadn't looked at him even once, not even when she'd been passing out the quizzes. That, more than the change in her clothes, more than the pop quiz, told him that something was wrong.

_Good. Anything that upsets the whore is fine by me._

Grinning ever so slightly, the redhead turned his attention to the quiz he'd been given.

**1 :**** Differentiate:**

_The quotient rule. Start with the bottom function._

He remembered this from last week and wasted no time in beginning to solve the equation. Even though Miss Larxene hadn't said to, he made sure to show all his work on his quiz. It wouldn't surprise him if the bitch took points off for not showing work despite the lack of instructions.

_And the bottom function is squared in the answer._

This was going to be easy. That whore thought she could ruin his day just because she was in a bad mood? Ha! No way in hell was Axel going to let that happen. She'd crossed a line at the Masquerade and he wasn't about to let her think she'd gotten away with it.

The papers shuffled as he turned to the next page and continued working.

Across the room, Roxas focused on his own quiz, his brow furrowed in concentration. He tapped his fingers and chewed the end of his pencil as he thought through each equation. It unnerved him to be in Miss Larxene's class—he couldn't force himself to look the teacher in the eye, not after seeing her kiss Axel. Having class with the woman several times since the dance hadn't done anything to ease his nerves, and he couldn't look Axel in the eye, either. The senior hadn't tried to talk to him since the after party, and Roxas was glad. Still, he occasionally snuck glances at the older boy for no reason in particular. He just had to look sometimes.

_Wait, that can't be right._

Sighing because he'd let his mind wander and had written down the wrong answer, the blond reached for his eraser and only managed to knock it off his desk onto the floor. He leaned down to pick up the pink, rubbery lump, and noticed from the corner of his eye that the boy next to him watching him. His fingers wrapped around the eraser and he looked up to find the other boy staring directly at him. There was malice in the boy's eyes, despite the fact that he and Roxas had never spoken to each other or even made eye contact before now.

The boy smirked slightly then looked towards the front of the room. "Miss Larxene, he's cheating off my quiz!"

Roxas froze, blue eyes widening in disbelief.

Every head in the room turned towards the boy who had spoken, including Larxene's. He wore a black hat in addition to his school uniform, blond bits of hair showing by his ears, and his expression radiated the sort of false innocence that no teenager believed but every adult seemed to fall for. Roxas' face turned red as he felt the atmosphere thicken. Miss Larxene rose from her desk and approached the two students as the blond straightened in his seat, his eraser still clutched tightly in his left hand.

"What makes you think Roxas was cheating off of you, Seifer?" Miss Larxene asked, looking down at the two boys imperiously.

"He purposefully dropped his eraser and tried to look at my answers when he leaned over to pick it up."

"That's not true!" Roxas protested, looking up at the teacher with pleading eyes. "I wasn't trying to cheat!"

"Were, too," Seifer shot at him. "I saw you."

"Miss Larxene, he's lying!" She couldn't possibly believe that he'd been trying to cheat, could she? He'd never caused trouble in any of his classes, save for the one time he was caught with a note from Axel, but that hadn't been his fault. "I accidentally knocked my eraser off my desk, but I didn't even look at him until he started staring at me!"

A cold smile curved the blonde woman's lips. This was the opportunity she'd been waiting for, the perfect chance to release some of her foul mood. It was just a bonus that she got to take it out on the kid who was trying to steal her Axel.

"I'm afraid I don't see any motivation for him to lie, Roxas. As I said before, cheating results in a detention, so I expect to see you here directly after classes today. You may finish your quiz, though you will not receive full credit."

Roxas' jaw dropped in astonishment and a small amount of horror. Detention with Larxene? Just thinking about the last time made his back tingle, and he shuddered at the memory; it had taken days for some of the welts to heal, and weeks for the bruises to fade. A large part of him wanted to argue that Seifer was a liar, that he had never and would never cheat, but he couldn't manage to form the words. And he knew that even if he could, he wouldn't have the courage to argue with a teacher, especially Miss Larxene.

He stared at the woman's back as she returned to her desk, speechless and frozen, until he noticed that Seifer was smirking at him, an arrogant sort of victory in his eyes. Roxas turned to look at the older boy and realized as he did that the whole thing had just been a game to get him in trouble. Seifer knew very well that Roxas hadn't been trying to cheat—he'd lied for no other purpose than to see if he could get the younger student in trouble. The knowledge upset Roxas so much that he forgot about his quiz and opened his mouth to accuse Seifer of lying, but someone else beat him to it.

"No."

The word seemed to stop everything for a moment. Miss Larxene had paused, only a step or two away from her desk, her spine stiff. Slowly, she turned, her gaze deadly.

"Who said that?" she asked, looking from face to face.

To her surprise, and even more so to Roxas', Axel stood from his desk, his quiz abandoned. "I did."

Larxene's eyes narrowed slightly. "You, Axel?"

"Yes."

"Did you have a question about the quiz?"

"No, I understand the quiz perfectly fine."

"Ah, then you must have some other good reason to disrupt my class."

"If you mean arguing against the detention you just gave Roxas, then yes, I have a very good reason for interrupting you."

The mention of his name made Roxas slide down in his chair. What on earth was Axel doing?!

Frowning slightly, Larxene blinked and tilted her head as if she hadn't heard correctly. "I'm sorry, what?"

"You heard me, _Miss_ Larxene." Somehow, the title that was meant to command respect was transformed into an insult just by the redhead's tone.

"No, Axel, I'm afraid I misheard you. I thought you said you were going to ignore the rules of my classroom and argue with me."

The senior squared his shoulders and lifted his chin. "Damn right I am."

A collective gasp went around the room at his use of the word. Kingdom High Boarding School had a zero-tolerance policy when it came to the use of profanity in classrooms or while speaking to a teacher. Axel could get in serious trouble for that one word, but the redhead didn't seem to care at all.

Miss Larxene's ears were turning red. "Excuse me? _What did you just say?"_

"Did I stutter, Miss Larxene?" Axel's tone was deceptively polite. "I said I'm not going to follow your rules. Your rules are shit. The only thing they're good for is letting you treat us like trash that should worship the ground you walk on, but I'm not going to take it anymore. You know as well as I do that Roxas would never cheat and that Seifer is lying."

The teacher's frown deepened. "I don't know that for sure, and neither do you. If Seifer says Roxas was cheating and there is no evidence to the contrary, then I have to go with the information I have. Now, sit down and be quiet for the remainder of class."

Axel glared at the teacher, folding his arms tightly across his chest to hide the shaking in his hands. "I do know it, Miss Larxene, and you don't have any evidence that Roxas _was_ cheating. You're just pissy and taking it out on Roxas because Seifer gave you an excuse."

"That," Larxene hissed, "is a detention, Axel. Today after class. Sit down and finish your quiz before you make things worse for yourself."

The redhead smirked, pleased that he'd managed to upset the teacher as much as he had. "No."

"Two detentions," the blonde said quietly, her shoulders tensinge; Axel's smirk widened into a grin.

"Please, sir, may I have another?"

Fury began to roll off the teacher in waves. How dare he?! How dare that impudent brat of a student challenge her in her own class, and call her sir! She was going to make him pay, and she was going to make Roxas suffer, as well. That stupid kid was the only reason Axel was behaving the way he was, and she wasn't going to let him off easy.

"Sit down, Axel, or I'll give you a full month's worth of detentions!"

They glared at each other, both angry and too stubborn to give in. All eyes were on the rebellious student and the teacher, waiting for either to make the next move and eager to see what would happen next.

"Go ahead." His calm tone offered a challenge for everyone to hear—there was no mistaking that he didn't care how much trouble he got in.

Larxene pointed at the door, her entire body trembling. "Out! I'll not have you insult me and disrupt my class! Go to the office and report to Headmaster Xemnas this instant!"

Stunned silence followed her words. With bated breath, Roxas and Axel's classmates waited for the senior's response. His movements stiff, the redhead packed his belongings into his bag and made his way towards the door. Just before he left the room, he looked back, directly into Roxas' astonished blue eyes, and winked. Then he was gone, off to the headmaster to receive his punishment.

Huffing angrily, Larxene swept back to her desk then whirled around to glare at her motionless students. Two dozen pairs of eyes stared at her, only making her even angrier.

"Well? Get back to work!"

They hurried to obey and she resumed her seat, fuming.

Nothing like that had ever happened before, and no one quite knew what to think. Certainly, they had a strange kind of respect for their brave classmate, but they also thought he was insane for getting himself sent to the headmaster. Roxas, in particular, was having a hard time wrapping his mind around what had just happened.

_Did he really get himself a month of detentions and a trip to Headmaster Xemnas, just for me? Is he still trying to get on my good side?_

He was grateful to Axel for standing up for him the way he had, but he was still confused. After all, he'd seen the redhead and teacher kiss, and all he'd ever gotten from Axel were mixed signals that made it impossible for him to know for sure if the senior wanted to be friends or something more. Now, it seemed like Axel was demonstrating how determined he was to prove himself, and Roxas didn't know what to think.

It could be that Axel was nothing more than a con man and was just trying to trick Roxas into believing that he was a good person in order to get what he wanted. Or maybe he really did mean what he'd said about Larxene, and maybe he'd meant it when he told Roxas that he wanted to get to know him_._ Maybe he should have listened to what Axel had to say at the after party. Maybe. Why did there have to be so many maybe's?

The entire situation was frustrating beyond belief, and there was nothing he could do about it. Not yet, at least. But there was always after classes, when he had detention. As much as he hated the idea of a second detention with Larxene, especially when he hadn't done anything wrong, he was glad to know that Axel would be there, too. The teacher couldn't do anything too terrible to him if the senior was there to witness it, and he had the feeling that Axel would defend him all over again if he had to.

That was something, at least.

XXX

With his hands in his pockets, Axel made his way through the building to where the offices were. He was whistling, the sound unusually loud in the otherwise empty hallway. Anyone who saw him would never guess that he was on his way to see Headmaster Xemnas. In his mind, Axel knew he should be at least somewhat nervous about seeing the headmaster, but he couldn't help but feel fantastic.

Finally, he'd done it. He'd been waiting for a chance like that since homecoming, and he couldn't just let it pass without doing _something._ Besides, he'd meant every word he'd said to Miss Larxene and wasn't sorry in the slightest. Roxas was a good student and Axel knew without a doubt that the blond would _never_ cheat. He also knew that Seifer had a reputation for getting other kids in trouble; it was just Roxas' bad luck that he'd become a victim of the older boy. Still, he was proud of himself for showing Roxas that he wasn't just some jerk looking to play with him and throw him away when he was done. Roxas was more important than that.

Axel stopped when he reached the door to the main office. Headmaster Xemnas' office was in there, but he couldn't bring himself to go. He'd never been sent to the headmaster for getting in trouble like this, but he'd heard enough rumors for a small trace of fear to enter his thoughts. Some of the rumors seemed impossible, but after everything he'd gone through with Miss Larxene over the last few years, and what Zexion had recently told him about Marluxia, he didn't put it past Xemnas to be just as twisted as his teachers.

_Seriously, what is up with this school? Most of the kids here have rich parents. I'd have thought the teachers would all be a lot more professional than they are._

Well, there was nothing else for it. He had to go see the headmaster. Miss Larxene was sure to have contacted Xemnas and let him know that Axel was coming, so if he didn't show up, he'd get in even more trouble. He might get suspended or even expelled, and then he'd probably never see Roxas again. That didn't change the fact that he really didn't want to go into that office, but he stiffened his spine. He'd stood up for Roxas and faced Larxene. If this was the price he had to pay, then so be it.


	26. Chapter 26

Sora couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You have detention with her _again?_ But, what if she uses that yardstick? I don't want you covered in bruises!" The first time had been bad enough—he'd wanted to find Miss Larxene and do to her what she'd done to his twin. Sora didn't know if he'd be able to hold himself back from doing just that if Roxas came back to their dorm with fresh welts all over his back for a second time.

Looking down at his shoes as he walked beside the brunette, Roxas nodded. "Me neither, but the detention's not even what I'm mad about. It's that Seifer guy who lied about me trying to cheat that's ticking me off."

"I wouldn't spend too much time worrying about that guy," Riku advised from Sora's other side. "He's been pulling stunts like that for years. He almost cost me my gym pass. Once."

"What did you do?" Sora asked, intrigued by the tone the older boy had used for the last word.

"Took him out behind the gym and beat him up until he promised to never even look at me the wrong way." He was so casual about it that Sora and Roxas couldn't help but exchange glances.

"Really?" the blond questioned.

Riku chuckled at the twins' wide-eyed expressions. "No, but I did threaten to kick his ass if he bothered me again, and he hasn't."

Sora and Roxas were silent as they thought about that, then Roxas slowed his walking.

"That's him." He was staring at the boy from his math class, Seifer, and had slowed down so much he had almost come to a complete stop. It didn't take more than a few seconds for Seifer to notice Roxas as well, and the older boy smirked as he began to move towards the blond. Before he reached him, however, another student tripped and fell against Seifer, causing him to stumble and almost fall.

"Whoa! Hey there, Seify boy! Sorry about that!" the stranger apologized cheerfully as he straightened and threw his arm around Seifer's shoulders in a friendly way.

"Get off!" Glaring, Seifer pushed the shorter boy away. "You're getting on my nerves, Hayner."

"I can't help it if I trip in a crowded hallway, Seifer," Hayner explained, widening his eyes at the angry boy and holding out his hands with his fingers spread apart.

Irritated, Seifer rolled his eyes and turned away, muttering, "Whatever," as he did so. The instant he disappeared down the hall, the boy who'd bumped into him turned to Roxas with a huge grin on his face.

"I'll never get tired of that."

"What?" Dumbfounded, Roxas and Sora stared at the stranger, taking in his short blond hair that was somehow wavy and spiky at the same time and his brownish green eyes.

Still grinning, Hayner reached out and shook Roxas' hand. "I'm Hayner, nice to meet cha."

"Roxas."

"You're the kid Seifer got in trouble with Miss Larxene, right? He's been bragging about it all morning."

Roxas groaned and let his shoulders slump. Did everyone know about that? "Yeah, that's me."

"Hey." He felt a gentle bump on his shoulder and looked up to see Hayner smiling at him. "Don't let him get to you. He's just looking to get attention and getting the new genius kid in trouble was the best way to do it. You let me handle Seifer. I've been getting in his way for as long as he's been getting in other kids' faces."

Smiling gratefully, Roxas nodded at the slightly taller blond. "Thanks."

"No problem. See ya around!" With a wave, Hayner turned and wandered off down the hall, his hands in his pockets.

"He's sure nice," Sora commented. "Why didn't we meet him sooner?"

"Hayner's a junior," Riku pointed out, "so we don't have any classes with him. Seifer's a senior, which means he'll be in P.E. with us, though I doubt he'll try anything. He's had his fun for today. Besides, he shouldn't come near you while I'm there. That is, if he's smart enough to figure out he shouldn't bother my friends."

Sora linked his arm through Roxas' and lifted his fist, a determined grin on his face. "Let him try! He won't get anywhere close to _my_ brother!"

"You're an idiot," Roxas muttered, blushing because the brunette was drawing so much attention to himself, but he smiled and allowed himself to be marched down the hall to their next class.

XXX

"Keep up, slow poke!"

"You're the one who's going to eat my dust!"

As fast as they could, Riku and Sora raced around the edge of the gymnasium, lapping the other students again and again. Legs burning, arms pumping, they were neck and neck and striving with every step to pull ahead of each other. It was only the warm up jog for their P.E. class, but that didn't stop the two boys from treating it like the most important race of their lives. Today was the first time they'd competed in the class since the Masquerade and they were pulling out all the stops—it was remarkably similar to the first time Sora had challenged the older student.

The other boys in the class were certainly glad to see Sora and Riku back to their old selves, if not amused at the renewed sense of competition between them. Coach Xaldin especially was pleased with how hard they were working and could only grin as he watched them run.

In only a matter of minutes, the two rivals finished the required ten laps and stopped, leaning against each other as they panted for air. Riku slung an arm around the brunette's shoulders and pulled him close, grinning. They were practically nose-to-nose, staring each other straight in the eye.

"Nice race, Brat. You might actually beat me one day. Maybe."

Out of breath but smiling and happy, Sora shoved the older boy playfully without breaking that eye contact. "Whatever, jerk."

"All right, ladies, quit flirting," Coach Xaldin interrupted, though he was still smiling and didn't really mind the banter that had been missing from his sophomore-senior class for the past weeks. Both boys blushed, embarrassed, and moved away from each other with awkward laughs.

Sora ran a hand through the spikes of his hair and snuck a glance at his friend as the rest of the class finished their laps. Flirting? No, they weren't flirting…were they? They were just good friends and liked to tease each other. There was nothing flirtatious between them. Besides, Riku was a guy, and Sora liked girls. At least, he assumed he liked girls. He'd never been very close to any before Kairi, and he knew he didn't like her as more than a friend. But he'd never been very close to any guys, either, since he and his parents had moved around so much. Before Kingdom High, he'd only had Roxas, and while Roxas was all the company the brunette had needed, he knew that he'd never willingly give up the friends he had now. Especially Riku, since he'd only recently gotten the silver-haired boy back.

But that didn't mean they'd been flirting. Sora wasn't even sure he knew _how_ to flirt, so Coach Xaldin had to have been teasing them. They hadn't really been flirting.

"What are you staring at?"

Startled out of his reverie, Sora blinked and realized that his glance had turned into a blank stare and he'd been looking directly at Riku the entire time he'd been trying to decide if he'd really been flirting with the older boy. The blush that lingered on his cheeks darkened again.

"Nothing."

Riku gave him a strange look but shrugged. "If you say so."

Without replying, Sora moved to his usual place at the front of the group and waited for Riku to join him so they could lead stretches. There was no way he'd been flirting. The only person he'd ever even come close to flirting with was Kairi, and that was just because it was fun and silly. That wasn't the same as how he was with the silver-haired boy.

"All right, gather round!" Coach Xaldin called once the stretches and agilities were taken care of. "Would anyone like to guess what we'll be doing today?"

"Sprints?"

"Good guess, Rolfe, but no. Would anyone else like a try?"

The crowd of students was silent except for the anxious shifting of weight from foot to foot.

A grin spread over Coach Xaldin's face. "Dodgeball. Seniors versus sophomores." At this, several of the sophomores groaned while the seniors laughed and smirked at each other.

"Sophomores for the win!" Sora shouted, throwing his fist into the air, and a few of his classmates cheered.

Beside him, Riku rolled his eyes but lifted his own fist in silent agreement with the brunette. The other sophomores quickly followed his example, and soon they had begun to chant, "Soph-mores! Soph-mores!" They and their leaders moved to the far side of gym, continuing their chant all the way, much to the seniors' annoyance.

"You all know the rules," Coach Xaldin called over the voices of the younger half of the class, "so keep it clean or I'll have you wiping sweat off the wrestling mats. Rolfe, Smith, fetch the Dodgeballs from the storage room and set them out on the middle court line."

Shoving each other, the two Johns hurried to do as instructed. Moments later they returned with the specified items and quickly set them out, then returned to the sophomore side of the gym. Coach Xaldin took his place at the top of the bleachers where he would be able to keep an eye on the game.

"On my whistle!"

Every muscle tensed, knees bent in anticipation of the lunge forward as the boys waited with bated breath. Sora and Riku shared a glance and grinned, both determined to beat the seniors.

A moment of silence passed before the shrill scream of Coach Xaldin's whistle sounded, and the gym dissolved into chaos. Immediately upon hearing the whistle, every boy on the court sprinted forward in the hopes of snatching up one of the balls on the center court line, then back-pedaled rapidly to avoid being hit by the opposing team. All was quiet as the boys sized each other up, trying to identify a weak link to take advantage of.

Suddenly, a ball flew across the room, heading directly for Roxas, who froze like a deer in the headlights. With a yell, Sora leaped forward and used his own ball to deflect the other away from his brother. He landed and spun in one movement, balanced on his left foot, then launched the ball in his hands at the senior who had targeted the blond, nailing him in the chest hard enough for him to stumble back. The sound of rubber striking flesh echoed around the gym and the senior gasped from the force of the impact. As if that was some sort of signal, the boys began to attack without caution, throwing the weapons they'd been given with all the strength and speed they could manage while retaining some accuracy. Sora remained where he was, defending his brother with Riku's help while still helping his team to eliminate seniors from the game.

The game of Dodgeball was as brutal as war. Headshots didn't count for points, but anyone struck in the head by the rubbery projectiles was usually so dazed that he had to sit out for a few minutes until the ringing in his ears faded. Balls bounced off the floors and walls, struck bodies and flew through the air with intimidating velocity. Riku and Sora were seemingly unstoppable, guarding for each other and moving almost as if they were one person. They made sure to target Seifer early on and took him out of the game as revenge for getting Roxas in trouble that morning.

"On your left, Riku!"

"Oi! Take _this!"_

"Ha, missed!"

"Is that all you got?!"

"Nailed it!"

"Sora, duck!"

Finally, there was only one senior left. He was one of the most athletic boys in the class, but he was lanky and clumsy and didn't put his strength to its full potential, though his speed was incredible and his thin frame easily dodged anything thrown at him. Thus, he'd managed to stay in the game longer than the other seniors.

Drawing close to the older boy, Sora crouched to provide a smaller target for the senior and held his ball in front of his chest as a shield. "What do you think, Riku? Divide and conquer?"

"No, he'll dodge us both and I don't want anything he throws coming towards me. We need him to make a mistake that we can take advantage of, or trick him."

Sora glanced around at the few sophomores who were left standing, all of whom looked exhausted except for Roxas since he'd been behind the shield of Sora and Riku for the entirety of the game; his only job had been to collect ammo for the two athletes.

"Roxas, c'mere."

Hesitant, the blond moved to stand beside his brother, never taking his eyes off the enemy. "Yeah?"

"I need you to do me a favor."

"I'm not gonna like this, am I."

A grin was the only response he got.

The senior rolled the ball he held between his hands in a nervous fashion; sweat dripped down his back and darkened his reddish blond hair. He couldn't believe he was still in the game, since usually by now he'd have injured himself or someone else and would be sitting out. Apparently, Dodgeball was a game that his strength was perfect for and his lack of coordination didn't interfere as much as it did with other sports. His blue eyes darted from sophomore to sophomore, watching for any sign that an attack was coming.

"Come on, Herc!" one of the seniors on the bleachers yelled. "Put that canon of an arm to use and sink 'em!"

Nodding, Hercules straightened his spine and pelted the ball he held towards one of the sophomores, catching him in the shoulder as he tried to dodge and therefore eliminating him from the game. He smiled in modest triumph, then movement drew his attention to the right. One of the sophomores, the blond twin, was inching towards the center court line with a ball in his hands and a terrified yet determined expression on his face. Hercules watched him with curiosity. The kid couldn't possibly be planning on trying to take him out—he was an even worse athlete than Hercules himself and hadn't thrown a single ball the entire game.

As quickly as he could without fumbling, Hercules snatched up one of the many balls that littered the gym floor and took aim, closing one eye as he did so. It would be a light throw that wouldn't hurt too much or bruise. At the same time, Roxas drew his arm back and threw the ball he held with all his strength, his aim and speed surprisingly good for someone who had seemed completely helpless. Hercules stepped to the side to avoid the ball and whipped his arm forward to send his own speeding towards the blond, and pain suddenly exploded on his left shoulder and right side. He was knocked to the ground, a look of shock plastered to his face. What on earth happened?

Triumphant woops echoed through the gym as the sophomores on the bleachers leaped to their feet and cheered. Hercules managed to sit up in time to see Riku and Sora, the leaders of the sophomore team, high five each other, and he realized what had happened. The blond had been a distraction, and while he'd been focused on him, the other two had crept to the far sides of the gym and thrown at the same time, hitting him from both sides. It was a good strategy, and Hercules laughed breathlessly.

"Nice teamwork," he called.

"Thanks! And not so bad yourself," Sora responded, his arm now around Roxas' waist in an attempt to comfort his apparently traumatized twin.

"Don't you _ever_ use me as bait again!" the blond was saying as he glared at Sora, though he allowed himself to be pulled into the mob the sophomores were forming and joined in when the chant of "Soph-mores! Soph-mores!" began again.

The seniors, though unhappy to have been defeated, helped Hercules to his feet and congratulated him on his efforts, making him beam.

"All right, all right, get to the showers!" Coach Xaldin's voice was somehow loud enough to be heard over the celebrating sophomores. "That's all for today!"

Still chanting, the sophomores made their way to the locker room with Sora, Riku, and Roxas at the front of the group.

Steam from the showers wafted about the locker room as the boys showered and dressed, still exhilarated from the game. They chatted amongst themselves, taunting the seniors and bragging about who they'd managed to hit and dodge.

"Wait, wait, wait." Wearing nothing but a towel around his waist, Sora held up a hand to keep his blond twin from saying another word. "You mean he interrupted class and cursed at Miss Larxene and you _still_ don't want to give him a chance?"

Roxas looked down guiltily. "Well, when you say it like that…"

"Roxas, that's terrible!"

"I know…"

"You at least have to thank him for standing up for you. If he," he jerked his thumb over his shoulder at Riku, earning a playful punch on the shoulder from the older boy, "can apologize to me the way he did, then you can man up enough to say thank you. Lend him that book he wanted to borrow, at least. He's earned that much." The brunette put his hands on his hips and stared at the other boy until Roxas sighed and nodded.

"Fine."

"Good. Now, get dressed. You'll only get in more trouble if you're late for your detention." Sora turned just in time to see Riku putting his shirt on and froze for a moment, temporarily stunned by the older boy's physique. Then he shook his head, turned towards his locker, and began to dress, Coach Xaldin's comment about them flirting echoing in his thoughts once more.

XXX

Hands shoved deep in his pockets, Axel stood outside the door to the locker room, waiting as his classmates left in twos and threes. His detention with Larxene was supposed to start in only a few minutes, but he saw no point in walking to her classroom alone when Roxas had to go, too, and the since the blond was in P.E. with him, they might as well walk together.

Finally, the familiar mass of spiky blond hair appeared through the heavy door, and Axel stepped up to walk beside the younger student.

"Walk together?" he asked by way of greeting, doing his best to sound friendly and casual. Roxas jumped slightly, startled, then nodded.

"Sure."

The only sound was their footsteps as they made their way towards Miss Larxene's classroom. Just as they reached the door, Roxas stopped and opened his bag, searching through its contents. Axel waited, curious, and blinked in surprise when the shorter boy held something out.

"Here."

Taking his hand from his pocket, the redhead accepted the object and looked at the front. "_Pride and Prejudice_."

"You said you wanted to borrow it when I was finished."

Oh, right. "Yeah, thanks." Axel offered a smile and carefully slipped the book into his own bag. "I'll take good care of it."

Roxas nodded, not meeting the senior's gaze. "I also wanted to thank you. You know, for standing up to Larxene like that. It was really brave of you, and I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate it. You didn't get into a lot of trouble, did you?"

Surprised but pleased to hear that Roxas was actually concerned for him, Axel smiled and shook his head. "Naw. Though I do have all these detentions with Larxene to look forward to."

Roxas winced. "Sorry…"

"Hey, it's no big deal. I know you weren't cheating, and somebody needed to say something. I'm just glad I got to be the one to do it."

Unsure of how to respond to that, Roxas simply nodded and reached for the door handle. His hand landed on it a moment before Axel's, causing the older student's hand to overlap his own, and the two froze for a moment before Axel jerked his hand away with an embarrassed laugh.

"Sorry. Go ahead."

With a curious glance at the redhead, Roxas pulled the door open and went into the classroom as Axel followed.

XXX

Zexion looked up as the door opened. "Where have you been?"

"Detention." Axel dropped his bag next to his desk and flopped down onto his bed.

"You didn't tell me you got another detention."

"I'm sorry, Mother," the redhead teased, making the other senior glare. "I cursed in Miss Larxene's class today because she gave Roxas a detention he didn't deserve."

"You did _what?"_

Axel shrugged. "It's not a big deal, Zex. Headmaster Xemnas didn't even care when he found out what happened. All he said was that I had to go to the month's worth of detentions Larxene gave me. That's going to suck, but at least the one I just had was with Roxas, so it wasn't that bad."

Curiosity made Zexion turn away from his desk. "What happened?"

"Nothing. We just sat there and graded the pop quiz we had today while the whore did who knows what at her desk. But he talked to me, Zexion. I mean, he finally lent me that book I asked him about back when he had to work with us in that chemistry lab. I'd forgotten all about it, but he remembered, and he thanked me for standing up to Larxene for him."

"That's certainly a lot of progress," the blue-haired senior commented, sounding genuinely glad that his friend was on better terms with the sophomore boy.

Axel grinned, pleased with himself. "Yeah. Speaking of progress, did you talk to Demyx yet?"

Zexion turned back to his desk and picked up his pencil. "Not yet."

"Better get a move on, Zex."

"Yeah, yeah."


	27. Chapter 27

With his hands tucked neatly into his pockets, Mister Marluxia all but glided down the hallway, his steps long, slow and measured. His shoulders were back but relaxed and he walked with his chin up with a casual smile in place. He looked for all the world as if he was strolling along on a warm beach somewhere without a care or worry instead of in a tile floored hallway with harsh fluorescent lights and plain white walls. This carefree manner vanished, however, when he reached the door to Professor Luxord's office.

Marluxia hesitated as he stood there, one hand extended toward the doorknob. He had a bad feeling about this, being summoned to the blond man's office without an explanation, but it wasn't as if he could refuse. The other teacher knew too much for Marluxia to risk upsetting him, so he had to come when he was called, though it wasn't really Luxord that he was worried about. There were more powerful men with knowledge that could ruin him.

But he'd delayed for too long, so he lifted one loosely fisted hand and knocked softly.

"Come in."

The pink-haired teacher opened the door and stepped into the office. "You asked to see me?" he asked politely, hoping to keep this encounter as pleasant as possible.

"Yes. Shut the door, please."

Nodding politely, Marluxia did as he was told then moved to stand in front of the blond's desk, his hands held behind his back in a relaxed posture. "Might I ask what you wished to speak with me about?"

"You know exactly what I want to talk to you about, Marluxia." Luxord's tone was suddenly harsher than before, though the other man didn't show any sign that he'd noticed.

"If you're referring to the offer made to us by Headmaster Xemnas, then I would have you know that I have decided to cease my pursuit of Demyx and so maintain my position as a teacher here."

"Stop acting so damn proper, Marluxia!" the blond teacher snapped, standing and striding around the desk to stand toe-to-toe with him. "There might have been a time when you could get away with anything just by sounding eloquent, but that's not how it works here. It's not that easy. Xemnas will hold this over our heads for the rest of our goddamn lives!" He slammed a hand down onto his desk for emphasis, breathing slightly harder than normal with the force of his emotions.

"Nevertheless, I will not be bothering Demyx any longer. I will be a mentor and friend to him, that is all," Marluxia said quietly, everything about him radiating calm. "There's no need to be concerned for my well-being. The only thing you need to decide, Luxord, is whether you will continue to interact with Kairi on a level the Headmaster disapproves of or not."

Seeming to deflate slightly, Luxord stepped back so that he wasn't so close to the pink-haired teacher and lowered his gaze, all the anger he'd displayed only moments ago leaving him. "I haven't even done anything for the headmaster to be upset about. She's the one who kissed me. If she tries something else, I'll turn her down, and that'll be the end of it."

"Good. Just make sure she doesn't catch you off-guard again."

Luxord nodded, and Marluxia turned to leave. "Have a good evening, Professor Luxord." Then he was gone, the door shutting quietly behind him. He looked just as calm and collected as when he'd arrived as he went back the way he'd come, but he didn't notice the pair of eyes watching him from the opposite end of the hall.

Her breathing uneven both from what she'd heard and her short sprint down the hall, Kairi watched Mister Marluxia walk away towards his own office. Once he was gone, she turned her back to the wall and slid down to the floor, her knees to her chest.

It couldn't be. He hadn't meant it; there was no way he was really going to reject her. She _knew_ he was attracted to her, otherwise she wouldn't have flirted with him! And how dare he put all the blame on her?! He was the one who'd been staring at her during all of her detentions with him, and not to mention the way he'd watched her at the Masquerade! So what if she'd kissed him? He'd wanted her to, and he hadn't stopped her or pushed her away. It was just as much his fault for making her think he was worth the effort as she was for believing him.

Still, she was glad she'd arrived when she had, just in time to see Mister Marluxia going into Professor Luxord's office. Maybe it was wrong of her to eavesdrop on the two teachers, but Kairi thought it was lucky that she'd heard him say it. Otherwise she'd have waltzed into his office unawares just to have her feelings crushed and thrown back in her face.

"This isn't fair," she whispered to the empty hallway, glad that her soft voice wouldn't carry and be heard by someone else. "I help my friends find people and they're happy, but all the guys_ I_ meet are stuck up jerks and players."

Wrapping her arms around her knees, she rested her forehead on them and sighed quietly as tears threatened to form. There was an all-too-familiar pain in her chest, reminding her that she'd failed again. She hated this, hated feeling like she'd messed up, like she'd been tricked into believing that maybe he genuinely liked her only to find out that he wanted nothing to do with her. All of her friends were finding someone to be with, yet there she was sitting in a hallway trying not to cry, and even worse she could feel herself shaking. It just wasn't fair.

The sound of approaching footsteps startled Kairi to her feet, and she quickly wiped under her eyes to make sure no tears had escaped and smeared her makeup. Now was definitely not the time to have an emotional breakdown, especially not in a hallway where anyone might happen to find her. Straightening her uniform, she rounded the corner of the hall to leave and found herself face-to-face with the last person she wanted to see.

Startled, icy eyes widening, the tall man took a quick step back to put distance between himself and the redheaded student. "Hello, Kairi. What are you doing here so late?"

With her blue eyes glued to the floor so that he wouldn't see the tears that still lingered, Kairi shrugged. "I was practicing in the music rooms. Mister Marluxia gave me a solo for the winter concert, so…"

"A solo? You must be very good, then."

"Mister Marluxia thinks so. I…I should get going. Good bye, Professor Luxord." She didn't wait for a response before turning and quickly walking away, forcing herself not to run like she wanted to.

The feeling of eyes drilling into her back made her want to either run as fast as she could or stop and fall to the floor and cry. But he was watching her, so she maintained her carefully controlled pace until she was outside. Then she bolted, heading straight for the sophomore dorm hall as fast as her legs would carry her, her bag bumping against her thigh with every step. The chilly November air burned her throat and lungs but she didn't care—all she wanted was to curl up in bed with the blankets over her head and pretend she'd never noticed that stupid history teacher's cynical smile.

XXX

Brushing sweat-darkened bangs out of his eyes, Sora kept his focus intent on the boy in front of him. The sound of the basketball hitting the floor over and over again echoed around the otherwise empty gymnasium, accompanied only by panted breaths. A bead of sweat trickled down his bare back, both boys having discarded their T-shirts long ago; the movement of Riku's glistening chest as he breathed in and out was distracting, but Sora forced himself to ignore it.

Now was not the time for that.

As fast as he could, the brunet swatted at the basketball in an attempt to knock it away from his opponent and therefore steal it, but Riku was too quick. He spun, still dribbling, and moved towards the hoop with the intent of shooting a layup, Sora hot on his heels. With perfect form, the older boy took three bounds and jumped, the ball seeming to float from his outstretched hand into the hoop. He let out a whoop of triumph, landing at a jog and circling back around. A grin spread over the silver-haired boy's face as Sora retrieved the ball, and he looked over to where a clock hung by the door.

"Let's call it a tie, Brat," he panted, running a hand through his hair to move his bangs out of his eyes, an action that Sora always found fascinating. "We've been playing for over an hour."

"You just know I'll win if we keep going," Sora responded confidently, the ball held under his arm, "but we can quit. Head for the showers?"

"Naw." A strange light came into Riku's teal eyes as he moved closer to the younger boy. "There's something else I want to do, first."

"U-um." Sora swallowed thickly, suddenly nervous for a reason he wasn't even sure of. "What?"

Reaching out, Riku plucked the ball from under the brunet's arm and rolled it between his hands as he thought. "Sora…"

"Yes?" he tried not to sound too hopeful, though his voice was a little higher than normal.

"Will…" Riku paused, seeming to decide against whatever it was he'd been about to say. "Have you forgiven me yet? For being a jerk, I mean."

Oh. That.

"Almost. Why?" Trying to act casual, Sora went over to where they'd thrown their shirts and picked his up, using it to wipe the sweat from his face and chest. He wasn't sure if he was relieved or disappointed that that was all Riku had wanted to know about. On the inside, he'd forgiven Riku completely and was more than ready to move on with their friendship as if the whole thing had never happened, but he had the feeling that it wasn't quite time yet, so he kept that to himself.

Riku joined him after a moment, setting the basketball down and pulling his own shirt on over his head, hiding the defined muscles that had proved to be entirely too distracting to Sora. "I was just wondering. So, have you been to the pool yet?"

"Nope." He put on his shirt and shook out his hair.

"You wanna go?"

"Now? Just the two of us?" The thought of a drenched Riku clad in only a pair of swim trunks made Sora's face grow warm, and he was glad that the flush from their game of one-on-one basketball hadn't faded yet.

"Yes now, and we can invite Roxas and Namine and Kairi. Unless you want me all to yourself, that is," Riku teased, making the younger boy's face turn an even darker shade of red.

"S-shut up!" the brunet stuttered, glaring as a smirk spread over his friend's face. "No wonder Coach Xaldin thought we were flirting—you hit on me all the time!"

It was Riku's turn to blush as his smirk vanished, and he rolled his eyes to try to cover it up. "Don't flatter yourself, Brat. You're not my type."

Putting his hands on his hips, Sora raised an eyebrow. "Then what is your type? Cause I've never seen you flirt with anyone else, and you barely talk to anyone other than me, Kairi, Namine and Roxas."

"My type is nothing you need to know about," Riku replied calmly as he picked up the basketball. "Are we going to the pool or not?"

"Yeah. I just gotta go back to my room and grab my stuff."

"Same. I'll meet you at the pool in fifteen minutes."

"See ya then!" Sora called over his shoulder, already jogging out of the gym and heading for the freshman dorm hall. Only one more month and he and Roxas would get to move into the sophomore dorms where they belonged, and then they'd be in the same building as Namine, Kairi and Riku. He'd be able to visit Riku whenever we wanted, and Sora was more excited about that than he cared to admit.

The door flew open with enough force to bang against the wall as the brunet burst into the room he shared with his twin. "Get up, Rox! We're going to the pool!"

From his place at his desk, the blond looked up with a mildly curious expression. "We are?"

"Yep!" Sora opened the top drawer of their shared dresser and pulled out two matching pairs of swim trunks. "You, me, Riku, Namine and Kairi!"

"You and Riku aren't going to turn it into some big competition, are you?" Roxas asked as he marked his place then set his book down.

"Nope! This is just for fun." Two beach towels were discovered in a tote stored under the bed and hastily shoved into a bag, along with the swim trunks. "Now come on!"

Roxas didn't have a chance to protest before Sora had grabbed his hand proceeded to drag him out of their room, down the hall and stairs and over to the sophomore hall.

"S-Sora, slow down! Where are we going? I thought you wanted to swim!"

"We gotta get Kairi and Namine first!"

Moments later the two boys stood outside the door to the girls' room and Sora pounded on their door with little grace; Roxas rolled his eyes.

"Guys! We're going swimming!" he shouted, his excitement starting to get the better of him.

The door opened to show a messy haired Namine blinking at them—she had obviously just woken from a nap. "Sora, why are you yelling?"

Roxas put a hand over his twin's mouth before the brunet could respond. "He's just excited. Is Kairi in there? Apparently, we're all going swimming."

"Um, yeah. Come on in." The blonde stood back and held the door open for the two boys then looked over to where Kairi was sitting on her bed. "Do you want to go swimming, Kairi?"

"Not really…"

Immediately, a frown creased Sora's forehead and he moved to sit by the redhead. "Is something wrong?"

Kairi shrugged, leaning against the brunet as he wrapped a comforting arm around her. "Nothing worth bringing up."

Even though Sora didn't believe her, he didn't push it. He knew Kairi would tell him in her own time and he didn't want to upset her further by pressing her for information. "Okay. I'm here if you want to talk, kay?"

"Kay."

Silence filled the dorm until Roxas couldn't take it anymore.

"You coming, Namine?" he asked, turning to the still-sleepy blonde as she brushed out her hair.

"Hm? Oh, yeah. Just let me get my stuff." Setting down her comb, she went into the closet to get her swimsuit and towel and put them in a bag then slipped on her shoes.

"Come on, Sora," Roxas said quietly, standing by the door with a now-ready Namine. The brunet nodded and gently pulled away from Kairi even though he thought staying with her was more important than going swimming. Her eyes were clouded and he was afraid she was going to cry as soon as they left, but he also thought she might want to be alone, so he got up and smiled weakly at her.

"We'll be over after we finish swimming, if that's okay."

A nod was the only response he got, so he leaned down and whispered in her ear too quietly for the two blonds in the room to hear. Kairi giggled and nodded, smiling at him gratefully, then pushed him towards the door.

"Go swim. Say hi to Riku for me."

"Aye, aye, Captain!" Sora chirped, flashing one of his infectious grins before Roxas dragged him out of the room.

Chatting amongst themselves, the three friends left the hall and crossed the campus to the part of the gymnasium that housed the pool. Namine's pace slowed as they neared the door, and Sora and Roxas looked back at her curiously when she fell behind.

"Namine? You all right?" Roxas asked, concerned.

"Yes, I'm fine." She offered them a reassuring smile that wasn't completely convincing. "It's just that the last time I was here, Kairi had talked me into helping her and some other kids pull a prank by dumping a bunch of Kool Aid mix in the pool. But Professor Luxord caught us, and we all made a run for it. Kairi was the only one who got caught—that's why she had all those detentions."

"Oh, well, I wouldn't tell Riku about that, if I was you," Sora advised wisely. "He told me he was really upset when the pool was closed for cleaning after that."

Namine nodded. "Okay."

Impatient, Roxas marched past his twin and pulled open the door. "Are we going swimming or not?"

"We're going swimming!" the brunet yelled, running past Roxas and into the pool room. There were a few students he didn't know in the pool, but Riku wasn't there yet, so he turned and went through a door label "Boys' Locker Room" with Roxas just behind him. The sound of running water greeted him, and Sora wasted no time in grabbing his swim trunks from the bag and choosing a shower.

He was still fairly sweaty from playing basketball, so his clothes stuck to him slightly as he stripped. The water was cold when he turned it on, but he didn't have the patience to wait for it to heat up so he took a deep breath and quickly stepped into the spray.

"Oh hell that's cold!" he shrieked, rinsing off as fast as he was able as laughter he recognized as Roxas' echoed through the locker room.

"Should've let it warm up, Brat," a voice called, and Sora, shivering, bit his lip to hold back a whine.

"M-maybe I want y-you to warm me up, R-Riku," he responded, trying to sound flirtatious despite his chattering teeth.

"Is that an invitation?" The words came from just on the other side of the curtain that separated Sora from the rest of the locker room, and someone chuckled as the curtain began to move.

"N-no!" Frantic, Sora yanked his swim trunks on just before the curtain opened to reveal a smirking Riku.

"Funny, you sounded like you wanted some company," the older boy teased, observing the brunet's shivering body. "Dude, your lips are turning blue. Maybe you should turn the water off."

"Y-yeah." Trembling from the cold, Sora hurried to turn off the water then gathered his dirty clothes, throwing them towards where Roxas had left their bag. He kept his eyes down to avoid looking at the silver-haired boy; he knew he'd stare if he let himself notice the water dripping on Riku's body just the way he'd imagined earlier.

_You're a total pervert,_ he scolded himself, his wet feet slapping against the floor as he and Riku walked out of the locker room together. _You shouldn't be thinking things like that. He's your best friend._

But as he watched Riku walk around the pool to where the diving board was, he couldn't help it. It was just like the first time he'd seen him, that morning on the track so many weeks ago. Riku had been and was about the closest thing to perfection Sora could imagine, from his tanned skin to his lean muscles, his silvery hair and green-blue eyes, and his smile. A slightly mocking, confident smile that made Sora's stomach feel funny whenever he saw it. Maybe Kairi was right. Maybe he liked Riku as more than a friend.

But maybe wasn't good enough, and as Riku moved to the end of the diving board, he cast one of those intriguing grins toward the brunet before he dove into the water, and Sora knew that maybe would never be enough.


	28. Chapter 28

Roxas couldn't believe what he was seeing.

That ridiculous grin, playful splashing and pushing and laughs that were so close to giggles he wasn't entirely sure what to call them. Watching his twin, the only friend he'd ever had before attending Kingdom High, pay so much attention to someone else was almost painful for the blond. He didn't like to admit it, but there was a chance that he was—maybe just a little—jealous.

_Stop that,_ Roxas scolded himself, kicking his feet in the water as he sat on the edge of the pool clad in nothing but his swim trunks. _What do you have to be jealous of? He's not replacing you. Sora would never do something like that. Besides, it's only natural that he'd branch off and have other close friends, and you should do the same. This isn't any different from hanging out with Kairi and Namine._

But it was. It was completely different. Even though it'd been happening for a while, the intensity had exploded. Having to sit less than fifteen feet away from it was definitely on the embarrassing side, though it was amusing. Watching his rambunctious twin being dunked caused at least a chuckle, but he wasn't altogether sure of how he felt about it, especially after what he'd overheard in the locker room a few minutes ago.

Sora and Riku's flirting, it seemed, had reached an entirely new level.

The flirting itself didn't bother Roxas—he didn't care who Sora flirted with—but he wondered how serious the two really were. He knew his brother too well to think he was entirely joking. On some level, Sora meant every flirtatious expression, movement and phrase, and Riku was returning every single one of them.

_No wonder Kairi thinks they'd be cute together,_ he thought, watching Sora and Riku engage in yet another splash fight until he felt a touch on his shoulder. Turning, he saw Namine looking at him in a concerned sort of way. Just behind her were two other students, a girl he recognized and a boy that Roxas didn't know.

"What?"

"Are you all right? I've been trying to get your attention for over a minute," Namine informed him, and he blushed to realize just how intently he'd been watching his twin and friend.

"Sorry," he apologized in an embarrassed tone, rubbing the back of his head. "I was lost in thought. What did you need?"

A smile replaced her worry and Namine gestured at the other two students. "I wanted to introduce you to a of friend of mine. You've met Ariel before—she studied for midterms with us once." She gestured at Ariel and Roxas nodded. He did recognize her, but he hadn't remembered her name.

"Nice to see you again, Ariel."

The redhead smiled. "You, too."

Namine gestured at the other teenager, a blond with a spiked up mullet. "This is Demyx. Demyx, this is Roxas.

"Hey." Smiling, Demyx held his hand out and Roxas accepted it; they shook.

"Hi."

"So, Namine says you're new here," Demyx said as Roxas pushed himself forward and into the pool, bouncing slightly to lessen the impact when his feet hit the bottom.

"Yeah, my brother and I travelled with our parents for most of our lives, but this year we finally convinced them to let us attend a real school."

"Your brother?"

"Yeah." Roxas jerked his thumb towards where Riku was now allowing Sora to play with his hair. The older boy looked amused and he was smiling at the brunet fondly. "That's Sora. We're twins."

"Oh, cool."

The two blonds watched the flirting pair for a few moments before Demyx asked, "So, are they together?"

"Nope."

"But they act like it."

"Yup."

"They're going to end up together."

"Probably.

They looked at each other and grinned, enjoying even that tiny bit of conversation. Suddenly, a pair of hands grabbed each boy and Roxas and Demyx were yanked back off their feet. With a loud splash, they fell into the water and were completely submerged, both instinctively holding their breath. They surfaced within moments, sputtering and shocked, and turned to find Namine and Ariel caught in fits of giggles over what they'd done to the boys.

Almost as if she was issuing a challenge, the Ariel splashed the blonds. Roxas shook his head in an attempt to get the water out of his eyes and blindly splashed back, though the girls dodged it with relative ease. He managed to clear his vision in time to see Demyx silently rise out of the water like some odd humanoid aquatic predator directly behind Ariel. He grabbed her around her waist and tossed her a short ways into the deeper water as she shrieked. Startled, Namine ran as fast as the water around her legs would allow, but Demyx vanished back under water only to surface right in front of her and grin.

"Where ya goin', Namine?"

Before she could respond, Demyx picked her up and slung her over his shoulder, easily carrying her farther into the pool, then tossed her in the same direction as he'd done Ariel, effectively splashing the redhead and dunking Namine.

Roxas cheered and gave Demyx a high five when the grinning junior swam back to him. "I've never seen anyone swim like that! You're a fish!"

Blushing, Demyx laughed and swished his hands through the water, embarrassed yet pleased by the compliment. The commotion the four teens had just caused was enough to gain Sora and Riku's attention, and Demyx only seemed to grow shyer as the other two boys moved closer.

"What are you doing?" Sora asked, swimming to Roxas' side and absent-mindedly slipping his hand into the blond's.

"Nothing," he replied, smiling. "Namine was just introducing me to her friend Demyx."

"Demyx?" the brunet repeated, curious blue eyes inspecting the junior.

Smiling again, Demyx offered his hand for Sora to shake. "Hi."

"Hey." That infectious grin made its return.

"Why don't we play a game," Namine suggested, having swum closer with Ariel once the two were sure it was safe and they weren't going to be thrown again.

Sora grinned, eager. "Game?" His expression and posture were reminiscent of a puppy that wanted to play, and Namine giggled.

"Yeah. How about…Marco Polo?"

"Yeah!" Sora cheered, jumping and throwing his fists into the air in excitement. His enthusiasm, though nothing new to his friends, seemed a little extreme even for him.

But Roxas understood perfectly. Even though he'd never been quite as friendly or outgoing as his twin, he knew how Sora was feeling. They'd never had friends apart from each other, and having friends for the first time meant they could do things they couldn't before. Like play Marco Polo. Games like that weren't much fun with only two people, so it made sense to Roxas that Sora was so excited.

"Who's going to be it first?" he asked, slipping his arm around his twin's waist.

"Nose goes!" Ariel exclaimed, placing her index finger on her nose and smiling. In quick succession, Namine, Demyx and Riku followed suit, until Roxas and Sora were left looking at their companions in confusion.

"What?" Sora demanded when Riku started to laugh. The brunet was pouting slightly, unhappy with apparently being left out on some secret or joke.

"Nose goes," Riku repeated, grinning lazily. "It's how you decide who's going to be it. The last person to touch their nose has to be it first."

"Oh." Sora looked at Roxas, identical pairs of blue eyes meeting and agreeing silently.

"I guess," the blond began, smiling ever so slightly.

"That since we're twins," Sora continued.

"And practically the same person."

They grinned at each other and spoke at the same time. "We'll _both_ be it." Then they laughed together as the other students exchanged glances.

"How come you've never done that before?" Namine asked.

"Done what before?" the twins as at the same time.

"That." Riku gestured at them vaguely. "That freaky twin thing. Finishing each other's sentences and talking at the same time."

Smirking, Sora draped his arm around Roxas' shoulders. "We've always done 'that freaky twin thing.' You're just too dull to notice, Riku."

The silver-haired boy rolled his eyes and swiftly dunked Sora, holding the younger boy under the water for only a few moments before letting him go.

"Are we going to play or not?" he asked, ignoring Sora even as the brunet attempted to dunk him back.

"We're playing," Namine replied. "Roxas and Sora are it."

The rules were stated, then Namine, Riku, Demyx and Ariel spread out in the shallow end of the pool as Sora and Roxas spun around ten times each, their eyes closed. When they stopped, they stood perfectly still, their eyes still closed as they listened carefully, waiting. Their ears strained for the smallest sound of ripples, of someone breathing or moving.

"Marco!" Sora called.

"Polo!" came the response, and he lunged towards the sound. This back and forth continued for several minutes as Roxas and Sora tried desperately to catch one of their friends. Eventually, because Demyx used her as a shield, Roxas managed to tag Ariel, and she became it.

The game continued, slowly growing more and more competitive. After Ariel, Namine was it, then Riku shoved Sora into her path and he was it on his own. He managed to tag Demyx, and then convinced Roxas to help him "sacrifice" Riku by holding the older boy prisoner so that Demyx could tag him. That little stunt earned him another dunking before Riku took his turn of blindly wandering around shouting out, "Marco!" every now and then.

Eventually, Ariel abandoned the game in favor of swimming in the deeper end of the pool, and Demyx soon joined her. It was like they'd been born with legs by accident and were actually meant to have fins, the way they dove beneath the water with hardly a ripple, only to reappear somewhere else with a smile so bright it was as if they had just washed away all their worries in those few moments. Roxas and Namine moved to sit in the shallow end to watch the others swim as they talked quietly. Sora and Riku occupied the middle grounds, swimming around each other, splashing and shouting challenges.

Across the pool, Demyx was waving his arms to catch Roxas' attention. When the blond sophomore finally noticed him, Demyx gestured exaggeratedly at Riku and Sora then he and Ariel smiled at each other and held hands, looking for all the world as if they were madly in love. Roxas snorted to cover up a laugh and feigned an innocent expression when Riku turned to look at him.

"What?" the older boy asked as he brushed his hair out of his eyes.

Roxas didn't respond—he was too busy watching his twin, who had turned and seen what Demyx and Ariel were doing before they could pretend not to. Slowly, the brunet turned, and their eyes met. The look in Sora's eyes was heartbreaking, a look Demyx and Ariel had obviously seen, for the two looked incredibly guilty, and it made Roxas feel awful. Clueless, Riku shrugged and turned away, lowering himself into the water to lazily float on his back. Sora glanced at the older boy before making his way into the shallow water and sitting beside his twin, resting his head on Roxas' shoulder and sighing.

"I'm sorry," the blond boy whispered, taking Sora's hand and lacing his fingers through the identical ones that belonged to his twin. Sora nodded mutely, gently squeezing Roxas' hand.

By the time Riku realized that Sora was no longer with him, he'd grown bored of floating around and swam over to sit in front of Namine, Roxas and Sora.

"What do you guys say to showering then going to someone's dorm and hanging out for the night?" he suggested, smiling slightly even though he cast a worried glance towards Sora.

"Sounds good," Roxas replied, though Namine shook her head.

"Kairi and I are having a Girls' Night," she explained. "Ariel's coming, too, and a few of Kairi's friends will be there. You should have a Guys' Night."

Riku thought about it for a moment then nodded. "Cool." Turning, he raised his voice, "Hey, Demyx, you wanna come over for a Guys' Night?"

A wide grin spread over the junior's face. "Sure!"

"Then it's settled." Standing, Riku climbed out of the pool and headed for the locker room, shaking the water out of his hair as he walked. "You coming, Brat?" he called over his shoulder.

"Yeah…" Still holding Roxas' hand, the brunet stood and followed the older boy as Demyx left the pool as well.

Sora took his time with his shower, and this time he let the water heat up before stepping into the spray. He cranked the handle as far as it would go, biting his lip as the water grew hotter and hotter until it burned and turned his skin red.

Without turning it down, he took his shower supplies from his bag and lathered shampoo into his hair. Next came the body wash, and he carefully scrubbed his agitated skin, examining the faint scars that showed through. They were from that day, that morning he'd tripped and fallen and skinned up just about every bit of exposed flesh on the track. Then the fight with Riku—his cheek hurt just thinking about it, as if the punch had happened moments ago instead of weeks ago.

_You're an idiot, Sora,_ he mentally accused himself._ Why are you flirting with Riku? He doesn't like you that way, and you don't like him that way, either. You're both boys. He's only being so nice to you because he's trying to earn your friendship back. Quit flirting with him and just be his friend._

It wasn't that he didn't want to flirt with the older boy. Flirting was fun, and he liked feeling important and special, but after seeing Demyx and Ariel mocking him, he felt like an idiot. He'd never been so embarrassed in his entire life as he'd been in that moment of seeing the two older students making fun of him.

"I have to pretend everything's fine," the brunet whispered, closing his eyes. "If I don't, he'll figure it out, and he won't want to be my friend any move if he finds out I like him. Besides, this is probably just some stupid little crush that'll go away if I ignore it for a while."

Reassured from his mini pep talk, Sora turned down the heat and finished his shower at a more comfortable temperature. When he was done, he shut the water off and quickly rubbed himself dry with his towel.

"Are you done yet?" an impatient voice asked from the other side of the curtain that was the only thing hiding Sora from view of the locker room.

"Almost," he replied, voice muffled by the shirt he was pulling on over his head.

"Well hurry it up. The rest of us are just standing around waiting for you, Brat."

"You shouldn't nag, Riku." A smirk spread over Sora's face as he pulled on his pants. "It makes you sound like you're my annoying wife."

Laughter he recognized as Roxas' and an unfamiliar chuckle that must have been Demyx sounded, and Sora knew his comment had made Riku blush.

"You wish, Brat. Out of the two of us, you would definitely be the annoying wife."

"Ooooh, someone's a little cocky." With his bag over his shoulder, Sora opened the curtain and stepped out of the shower stall, fully dressed. "But I'm afraid you'll at least have to buy me dinner before I'll let you come even close to calling me your wife."

Riku rolled his eyes. "Like I'd take your skinny ass out for dinner. At best, you'd get a coupon and a can of pop."

"Then I'm afraid my skinny ass will forever be out of your reach," Sora replied calmly, pretending that the older boy's comment hadn't hurt his feelings. He turned to leave the locker room; a hand suddenly slapped his ass. Surprised, the brunet let out a yelp and stumbled forward. When he regained his balance, he whirled around and glared at Riku, who was smirking. Obviously, he'd been the one who'd smacked Sora.

"What the hell was that for?!" Sora demanded, his face turning red from both anger and embarrassment.

"I guess I just wanted to see if it was really out of my reach." Riku's smirk turned into a grin. "Looks like your ass is within my reach, after all."

To his surprise, Sora felt tears beginning to form and hastily wiped them away. "Not cool, Riku! You can't just touch people like that! It's rude and invasive!"

Disbelief then shock and guilt made Riku's grin slip off his face. "I'm sorry. I didn't think it would bother you so much."

"Well it does! And I'd appreciate it if you'd never do something like that again!"

"Okay, okay," Riku attempted to placate the younger student. "I won't."

Sora huffed, clearly not ready to calm down. "Good."

With that, he spun around and left the locker room, stalking off down the hall to leave the pool hall. It was longer this way than going back through the actual pool room, but he didn't care. His throat felt tight as he fought not to cry. It was stupid, really. Why should he want to cry, anyway? Because Riku had touched him like that in front of his twin and new friend, after more or less calling him worthless.

_Why do I even like him? He's such a jerk, and I knew that. It's why I didn't just accept his apology and forgive him at the Masquerade. I'm wasting my emotions on him. He's not worth liking._

Arguing voices sounded behind him but he didn't slow or look back. He didn't want to talk to or see anyone. The voices stopped after a moment and were replaced by a single set of running footsteps. Sora forced himself not to tense, expecting it to be Roxas come to comfort him. But the arms that wrapped around him weren't Roxas', and suddenly Sora couldn't stop himself. Silent tears began to roll down his cheeks and his breathing became short, painful gasps.

"L-let me go," he whispered so that his voice wouldn't crack.

"No."

"Riku, please."

The arms around him loosened, but rather than letting him go, they turned him to face their owner. They pulled him closer until his face was pressed into Riku's shoulder.

"I'm sorry," the older boy murmured into his ear. He held Sora tightly, one arm around his shoulders and his other hand placed gently on the back of the brunet's head. "Really. I wasn't trying to upset you. Please forgive me."

Sora was shaking, quietly crying into Riku's shirt as his arms hung limp at his sides. It was all so stupid, but he couldn't help it. Even though Roxas and Demyx were probably watching and Riku would think he was a wuss for crying. He didn't care, and eventually, he snaked his arms around Riku's waist and held onto him just as tightly as he was being held.

The feeling of Sora hugging him back made Riku smile, and he began rubbing the smaller boy's back in an attempt to calm him down. Slowly, Sora's breathing returned to normal, and he stopped shaking.

"Sora."

Still holding onto the older boy, the brunet lifted his face from Riku's shoulder. His eyes were red and his cheeks were tear-stained, but he offered Riku a watery smile.

"You okay?" Riku asked, radiating concern for his young friend.

"Y-yeah." Sora blushed and gently pulled out of Riku's embrace. "Sorry. I don't know why I got so upset. Of course I forgive you."

"Good, and I am sorry."

"I know."

They smiled shyly at one another, both unsure of what to do next.

"So, um, is Guys' Night in your dorm?" Sora asked after a moment, and Riku nodded.

"Is that okay with you guys?" He turned to look back to where Roxas and Demyx were waiting by the locker room door. The two blonds took that as their cue that it was now safe and hurried to catch up.

"Guys' Night in my room?" Riku repeated, and the other three boys nodded. He grinned and slung his arm around Sora's neck, pulling him close. "Cool. Let's go."

Still blushing, Sora allowed himself to be led away from the pool hall towards the sophomore dorms, content for now just to be close to the silver-haired boy beside him.

XXX

"See ya, Namine!"

"Bye, Ariel."

As quickly as she could without looking like she was in a hurry, Namine crossed the school's central courtyard and went up to the dorm she shared with Kairi. When she got there, her cousin was in the exact same place as when she'd left.

"Kairi?" She dropped her bag inside the door and moved to stand in front of her cousin. "Kai?"

The redhead didn't move—her eyes flickered to signal that she'd heard Namine, but that was all.

"Kairi, what's wrong?"

It was obvious that she'd been crying. Her eyes were red and puffy in a way that could only be explained by having shed tears, even though her face was clean and there was no sign of smeared makeup under her eyes.

Concerned, Namine climbed onto the bed and settled next to the other girl. She slipped her arm around the redhead's shoulders and hugged her.

"Tell me what's wrong."

"…he…he doesn't…like me…" came the mumbled response, so quiet that Namine almost didn't hear.

"Who?"

"Professor Luxord…"

Oh. Right. The history teacher Kairi had been trying to seduce ever since the pool-prank incident that had landed her a month of detentions.

"How do you know that?"

"Heard him."

"When?"

"Today."

"Did he tell you himself?"

"No. Heard him tell Mister Marluxia."

"You eavesdropped on teachers?"

"Yeah…"

They sat quietly for a moment as Namine tried to think of something to say that would make her roommate feel better.

"Hey, I bet he just said that because he'd get in trouble for liking you, since he's a teacher."

"But…Marluxia likes Demyx…"

"Not anymore, so Luxord is probably just pretending. He doesn't want to get in trouble."

Kairi paused, thinking it over. It made sense. Sort of. "Yeah. Okay."

"Okay?" Namine squeezed the redhead's shoulders gently.

"Yeah."

"Good. Now, call your friends. I lied and told the boys we were having a Girls' Night, and I'd prefer for it not to be a lie for more than a little while."

"You lied?" Kairi giggled, surprised, and the blonde nodded, almost proud of herself. "Wow. Okay, yeah, I'll call some of the girls."

"Good, because you're not allowed to mope around for another second."

"Yes, Mother."

Both girls laughed at that, and set about arranging their spur-of-the-moment Girls' Night.


	29. Chapter 29

This was it. He was finally going to do it. No more procrastinating or making excuses. Today, he was going to reveal himself and put an end to all this stalking nonsense. But Zexion's feet remained rooted to the floor. Nerves made his palms sweat and he hastily wiped them on his pants. He felt uncomfortably warm and self-conscious in a way he never had before.

_Get a grip. You made a commitment, and if you chicken out now, Axel will never let you hear the end of it. Just go over there and introduce yourself. How hard can it be?_

Apparently, it was really hard. He could see the blond junior sitting in the same place as always as he stood by the chair he'd claimed in order to keep an eye on Demyx for all those weeks. The blond appeared to be working on homework, as usual.

_Just get it over with. Introduce yourself, ask him, and either walk away or hang out with him. Easy. You handle dangerous chemicals every day—talking to a kid should be easy._

Taking a deep breath, Zexion tightened his grip on his school bag and slowly approached the junior, his heart pounding. It felt like an eternity just to cross the library. Was everyone staring at him? Did he look as nervous as he felt? This was a bad idea. Demyx didn't need to know who Zexion was—he was probably better off with someone who had more in common with him. Zexion should turn around and leave before he made a fool of himself.

No, no. He was doing this, damn it!

Only a few more steps and there would be no turning back. He could do this. He'd been practicing what he would say for days.

Three steps. Two. One.

"H-hey…Demyx?" Zexion said so quietly that the junior might not be able to hear him even though he was standing just behind him.

"Yes?" The blond turned then froze when his eyes landed on Zexion's face, immediately recognizing the blue hair and matching eyes. "It…it's you. Isn't it?" he asked softly, unsure of how e should act. Memories of the kiss they'd shared at the Masquerade flooded him at the sight of those eyes, and he felt his neck grow warm under his shirt collar.

Zexion nodded, looking down in an uncharacteristic bout of shyness. "Yeah, it's me."

What?! What kind of answer was that?! What happened to the speech he'd been practicing, all those things he'd meant to say? He couldn't remember any of it. His mind had gone absolutely blank the moment Demyx turned and looked up at him.

Speechless, Demyx rose from his chair and faced the older boy. They were about the same height, though Zexion was slightly taller and of a slimmer build. He reached out and hesitantly touched the blue-haired boy's arm.

"You're not gonna disappear on me again, are you?" His smile was sad yet hopeful.

The senior shook his head. "No, I…I thought you deserved to know who I am, especially after…" he trailed off, not sure if he should say it out loud or not.

"After you kissed me," Demyx supplied helpfully, and Zexion nodded, eyes lowered again. He felt a touch on his hand and looked up in surprise to see Demyx smiling at him, more happily this time. Gently, the blond guided the older boy into the chair next to his own and moved his books out of the way as if he didn't want them to distract him from his new companion. "So, what's your name?"

"Zexion."

"Hm. Zexion." The blond seemed to be trying the name out, testing how it felt on his tongue and almost tasting it. "It's nice to finally meet you, Zexion."

Clueless about what exactly he should do next, Zexion simply nodded and focused his attention on the wood grain of the table, noting how worn it was from years of use. Silence made him glance up, and he realized that Demyx was waiting for him to say something, so he took another deep breath.

"Listen, Demyx, I understand if you don't want anything to do with me. I yelled at you when you didn't deserve it, and at the Masquerade…I don't know what came over me. I shouldn't have kissed you like that, and I'm sorry. If you want me to leave you alone, I will, but I didn't think it was fair to you not to introduce myself."

"I'm glad you did it." Demyx smiled shyly as a light blush colored his cheeks. "Both things, I mean. I…no one ever kissed me like that before, and I'd really been hoping to see you again. Thank you for coming to talk to me." He sounded sincere, and Zexion let himself smile.

"Really? And, uh, no problem." He'd really liked kissing him? "Could we go somewhere a little more private to talk?" Zexion's eyes nervously glanced around the library to check if anyone had noticed them. He felt extremely exposed and almost as if he was on display, a notion he wasn't particularly fond of since he was being open about his feelings for another person for the first time in his life.

Nodding, Demyx tucked his things into his bag and stood, once again taking hold of the older boy's hand—Zexion felt his face heat in embarrassment. The younger student led the way to the back of the library where small study rooms were available and pulled Zexion into one, shutting and locking the door behind them. There was a table with a chair and a two-person couch, and only one small window to let them peek out into the library. It was definitely an improvement and Zexion finally managed to relax. He decided to occupy the chair but Demyx pulled him down onto the couch before he had a chance to take his hand away. Both boys dropped their bags to the floor and Demyx tucked one leg under himself, looking at the senior expectantly.

This was not going at all the way Zexion had planned. In his head, he'd been confident and smooth and composed like he always was, but those evergreen eyes destroyed him. They made him forget everything he wanted to say, made him feel nervous and warm and beckoned him to do exactly what he'd done at the Masquerade only without pulling away and running off this time. And he wanted to. He wanted to pin the younger boy to the couch and kiss him until his lips were tired and he was out of breath. Just imagining it made him dig his nails into his palm just to control himself.

_What the hell is wrong with me?! I go my whole life without so much as feeling butterflies and all of a sudden I'm completely infatuated with this kid! This is madness!_

He found himself looking everywhere, _any_where but at the boy sitting beside him. If his nails bit any deeper into his palm they would draw blood; he forced himself to unclench his fist and relaxed each muscle one by one.

_Just ask him. It's not a big deal. The worst he can do is say no._

Finally, he managed to look at the other boy, just in time for Demyx to lean close and kiss him. Dark blue eyes widened but he didn't pull away, partially because the blond had grabbed onto the front of his uniform shirt. Thoughts and emotions mixed together in a whirlwind in his head. Should he pull away? Should he do nothing and wait for Demyx to stop? Should he kiss back? It was a gentle, tender kiss, completely different than the one Zexion had forced on the blond at the Masquerade, but he still liked it. Demyx had extremely soft lips and Zexion found that he rather enjoyed the way they felt against his own, but before he could decide what to do, Demyx pulled away and looked at him worriedly.

"What's wrong?" he asked, almost afraid that he'd done something wrong.

What was he supposed to say? Nothing was wrong, but he must have made a face because Demyx let go of his shirt and retreated to his own half of the couch. The blond fiddled with his tie and hid his eyes, pulling his other leg up onto the couch and drawing his knee to his chest in a protective fashion.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, sounding guilty, "it's just, I've wanted to do that ever since the Masquerade, and I thought maybe you wanted me to. Guess I was wrong, though."

Wrong? No, that wasn't true.

"What makes you think that?" Zexion questioned, speaking softly.

"You didn't kiss me back, and you got really tense."

_Because I was trying not to throw you back on the couch and ravish you._

Zexion tried to be delicate—ravishing the blond was probably a little extreme for their third encounter. "I wouldn't say I didn't want you to, I was just surprised. It was the last thing I expected you to do."

Green eyes lifted to meet his. "Why? I kissed you back at the Masquerade."

"Yes, but I thought you'd be more hesitant about things like this after how Mister Marluxia treated you."

There was no sign that Demyx even heard the name of the teacher who had been harassing him. "Why would I be hesitant with you? You saved me, and…I really like you, Zexion…"

He did? Gathering his courage, Zexion steeled himself. This was the whole point of coming to talk to him.

"Will you go out with me?" the senior blurted, then blushed but didn't turn away, looking at the younger boy intently.

Startled dark green eyes widened and blinked as a blush even darker than Zexion's covered Demyx's face. The blond nodded and smiled shyly, his arms wrapped around his knee. "I'd love to."

"Really? I mean, great. Yeah." Even though he was making a fool of himself, Zexion smiled and scooted closer to the blond, one thing and one thing only on his mind now that he'd gotten that nerve-racking question out of the way. "I have one more question."

Demyx felt himself shrink a little to have the older boy so close all of a sudden even though he didn't actually mind. "Y-yeah?"

"Can I kiss you?"

The question, or request, rather, was a breath, barely even a whisper, and Demyx found himself nodding without even the slightest hesitation. Zexion's smile widened slightly and he leaned closer, one hand cupping the younger boy's face, and he pressed his lips to the blond's. He looked into Demyx's green eyes for a moment before letting his own fall closed and continued to kiss the boy, gently and patiently.

Arms wound around his neck to pull him closer and he chuckled internally, pleased by the response. After a few moments of this shy kissing, he tilted his head and slipped his tongue out, tracing Demyx's lips and feeling the blond tremble slightly in what Zexion hoped was anticipation. When he'd finished memorizing the shape of them, he licked the soft bottom lip beseechingly, asking this time rather than taking like he had at the Masquerade. Demyx obediently parted his lips and moaned softly when Zexion's tongue invaded his mouth, exploring and memorizing, rubbing against Demyx's tongue to coax him to participate more.

Taking that as his cue, the blond pulled the older boy closer and tentatively pushed against the invading appendage with his own. Zexion allowed him entrance to his mouth but by no means gave up his dominance, choosing that moment to grip Demyx's knee and push his leg off the couch so that there was enough room for him to move closer to the blond. Their chests pressed together as Zexion pinned the younger student on the couch and Demyx broke away, panting and blushing as he looked up at the blue-haired senior.

"Z-Zexion…"

Also out of breath, the older boy rested his forehead against Demyx's and stared into those amazing eyes, smiling. "Yes?"

"Thank you…"

"For what?"

Demyx smiled and shifted under the senior, turning so that his head was propped up on the couch armrest and he was lying down more than sitting up. Zexion found it to be an extremely appealing position and wasted no time in moving over the blond, though he didn't do anything to distract him from whatever it was that he wanted to say.

"Everything. Stopping Marluxia that day, making sure I was okay at the Masquerade even though you were mad, kissing me then and coming to talk to me today." He reached up and ghosted his lips against Zexion's, brushing the blue hair back so he could see both of the older boy's eyes. "You don't realize how much of a difference you've made in my life."

That brought Zexion up short. He'd never realized how much Mister Marluxia was affecting the junior's life. The only thing he'd ever really considered was how guilty he felt for not stopping it at the homecoming dance, how if he kept watch over the blond and helped the next time, then he'd have done his part and would be able to forget about the whole thing.

_Shit, how selfish can I be? I have to tell him, even if he doesn't want to go out with me after he knows._

"Demyx, I…I have to tell you something."

The blond looked at him expectantly, still smiling, and Zexion sat up because he didn't think he could say it if he was in such a suggestive position with the younger boy. His action confused Demyx, who scooted back so he could sit up and lean against the armrest.

"Zexion, what is it?"

He hesitated for a moment, wanting to put it in a way that was honest but didn't sound as terrible as it maybe really was. "That day, when I found you and stopped Marluxia, that wasn't the first time I saw him bothering you," the senior admitted, looking away guiltily.

Demyx blinked, stunned. "When…?"

"At the homecoming dance. I was bored and wandering around, and I saw him kissing you off in the shadows. You were crying."

Naturally, Demyx knew exactly what Zexion was talking about. He remembered that night all too clearly. The pink-haired man had all but forced him to leave the lights and music behind in favor of somewhere more secluded. Apparently, it hadn't been secluded enough if Zexion had happened upon them.

"That…that was the first time he touched me…" the blond mumbled, pulling his knees up to his chest and hiding his face behind them, ashamed. It was obvious he meant that that had been the first time Mister Marluxia had done more than just kiss him, and it made Zexion feel even worse for not interfering when he had the chance.

"I'm really sorry, Demyx. I should have stopped him then, but I didn't. I don't know why. Afterwards, I felt so terrible that I started keeping an eye on you because I wanted to be there to stop him the next time he tried anything. That's the only reason I found you that day. You weren't in the library like usual, so I went to see if you were in the music room. It was pure luck that I managed to find you." His eyes were glued his shoes so he wouldn't see the hurt and anger Demyx was probably feeling at his revelation.

"You were watching me for all that time?"

"Yes."

_Please don't think I'm some stalker. I only did it to protect you. I didn't want him to hurt you again._

It took a few moments, but then Zexion felt the younger boy's weight shift. He was probably getting up to leave and would never so much as look at the senior again, and he had every right to behave that way. Zexion actually expected such a reaction, so when a pair of arms snaked their way around his waist and a blond, mulletted head maneuvered under his arm to rest against his chest, he looked down at the junior in surprise.

"Demyx?"

"Thank you." The words were muffled because they were half spoken into the blue-haired boy's chest, but he could still hear them. "I understand why you didn't stop him at the homecoming dance. I'd run away, too, if I saw something like that. You aren't the only person that saw him and didn't do anything. But you are the first person who cared enough to watch over me, and you're the one that stopped him and made him leave me alone. I've never seen anyone act like that, especially towards a teacher, but I'm really, really glad you did. Even though you were mad and yelled at me. Thank you, Zexion."

Slowly, the senior put his arm around the junior's shoulders and hugged him back, resting his cheek on the top of Demyx's head. The blond hair was soft, surprising because he'd thought there must be some sort of gel or spray in it to get it to spike up the way it did. But it was soft against his cheek, and he ran his fingers through it in a soothing way.

"I'm glad I did it, too."

The two stayed that way for a while, quiet but not in an uncomfortable or awkward way. Zexion could feel Demyx's hand moving on his chest, but it took him a few moments to realize that the blond wasn't simply playing with the buttons on his uniform shirt—he was undoing them.

"Demyx? What are you doing?" the senior asked, pulling away slightly and looking down to find that his shirt was almost completely open.

Undeterred, Demyx continued what he was doing until all the buttons were undone and then pushed the fabric away to reveal Zexion's narrow torso. Before Zexion could open his mouth to repeat his question, the blond began kissing his chest, choosing just the right places to send a shiver down the senior's spine. Slowly, he moved lower, kissing over the faint outline of Zexion's abs as his hands busied themselves with the older boy's belt. Zexion was so distracted by the lips and breath on his skin that he didn't notice the hands until his belt was open and his pants were about to be, too.

"Demyx, stop."

"Why?"

A tongue darted out, licking his navel, and Zexion shuddered.

"Because! Don't you think this is going a little fast?" He'd only just introduced himself, for heaven's sake, and all of a sudden Demyx was trying to take his clothes off!

"No. I've been thinking about you constantly since that day, Zexion, and I want to do this for you."

This was not the shy Demyx that Zexion had been dealing with before and was accustomed to. This Demyx was focused and knew exactly what he wanted, and even though Zexion wasn't sure this was a good idea and didn't think it was at all appropriate, his mouth refused to obey him as the hands finally succeeded in opening the button of his uniform slacks.

Sitting up with a determined look on his face, Demyx gently but firmly pushed and pulled Zexion until the senior's back was against the armrest and his legs were stretched out on the couch despite the blue-haired boy's half-hearted protests and weak resistance.

"Really, Demyx, I'm okay. You don't have to do this."

"I want to."

"But it's only—" The rest of what he'd meant to say abandoned him as Demyx kissed him. Hands tangled in his hair as a tongue swiftly invaded his mouth and he groaned, grabbing at the junior's shirt to draw him closer.

All too soon, Demyx broke away from the kiss and smiled at Zexion sweetly, his expression much too innocent considering what both males knew he was about to do. Slowly, he kissed the senior's jaw then down his neck, across his collarbone and down the center of his torso all the way to the waistband of the boxers Zexion still wore securely around his hips. The senior's breath hitched as fingers curled around the fabric and swiftly tugged it down, revealing him to all the world, and his face turned a dark shade of red in embarrassment.

"Demyx…"

"Relax. I know what I'm doing."

"That's the problem!" Zexion suddenly burst out, sitting up and startling the younger boy. Confused, Demyx stopped playing with the other male's clothes and looked at him with a slight frown. Still blushing, Zexion yanked his boxers back up to their proper position and buttoned his pants but didn't bother to fix his zipper or belt.

"What? You didn't think I'd know how to do this?"

"No, I—I don't want you doing things to me that you only know because Mister Marluxia showed you!"

That, at least, seemed to get through to the junior, and he looked away with an ashamed expression. "But he's the only experience I have," Demyx mumbled, wishing it wasn't true and hating that it was. "I've never…been with anyone else…"

Relaxing now that he was sure Demyx would stop trying to undress him, Zexion pulled the younger boy into a protective hug. "It's okay, Demyx. I'm not going to judge you for that. But I'm not like Marluxia. I want to take this slowly because that's what you deserve, and if we do decide to do something like that, I want it to be because we're both ready, not because you feel like you owe it to me for helping you. I'm not going to pressure you into anything. You remember what I said, don't you? That day in the hall when Marluxia said he loved you?"

Demyx sniffed and nodded, embarrassed and secretly relieved that Zexion had stopped him. "You said that if he loved me, he would stop when I wanted him to and wait until I was ready."

"Right." Zexion smiled. "I told him that love is patient and understanding, so let's be patient, okay?"

"Okay." A weak smile appeared on the junior's face despite his embarrassment. "Thanks, Zexion."

"Hey." The senior tipped Demyx's chin up and kissed him lightly, smiling. "I spent weeks protecting you from that creep. I'm not about to make his mistakes."

"You won't," Demyx assured him, nuzzling into the older boy's neck. "You're not like him."

Zexion chuckled and held the blond close, running his fingers through his hair. "Good, because I don't want to lose you like he did." That made the junior laugh quietly, and Zexion found that he loved the way it sounded.

_Geez, this kid's turning me into a huge sap. Axel's going to have a cow when he finds out about this._

Eh, maybe the other senior didn't have to find out just yet.


	30. Chapter 30

Saturdays were so _boring._

Correction: Saturdays during the winter were boring. There was seriously nothing to do. Videogames held no appeal, movies sounded boring and he couldn't go outside because it was snowing.

Axel _hated_ snow. It was cold and wet and it got everywhere. There was no way he was leaving his dorm unless he absolutely had to, and since it was Saturday, he didn't have to.

Unfortunately, he was bored to the point of pacing the room like a caged animal. He'd even done his homework, something he usually avoided until Sunday night and only did after Zexion nagged him like a housewife. The dorm was clean, too, another abnormality that only occurred during the colder days that meant Axel wasn't willing to leave the dorm. Zexion would have been proud that he'd put his hermit-like existence to good use.

With a frustrated growl, the redhead snatched up his phone and checked for any new messages. There were none, which didn't surprise the senior in the slightest. The only person who ever texted him was Zexion, and that had proved to be a dead end. The blue-haired student had appeared just long enough to stuff a bag full of clothes then vanished again without a word the night before and hadn't been back since. Axel had tried texting his roommate to ask where he'd gone and what he was doing, but all he'd gotten back was, "busy, tell you later."

It all seemed rather ridiculous.

Other than Zexion, Axel only ever received texts from his parents. Not that he wanted to talk to them. The only things they ever texted about were his grades and how much trouble he was in for whatever it was he did this time. Even halfway around the world, they thought they could somehow exercise discipline over him. It always made him laugh to receive a text telling him he was grounded. Most of the time, he didn't even read the messages they sent him.

There was, of course, one other person he actually wanted a text from, but he hadn't received a message from him.

_As if he'd have texted you already, you idiot. It's been less than a day since you gave him your number, and you didn't even do it in person. You passed him a note like always because you were too afraid of being rejected flat out if you actually tried to talk to him. So you sent him a note in Vexen's class and spied on him from the back of the room like the coward you are._

Axel began his pacing again, his phone now forgotten, and his emerald eyes desperately searched the room for something to do to amuse himself. Not for the first time, he rifled through his movie collection but once again found that none of the movies sounded interesting enough to watch. It was the same for his videogames; maybe he needed to go shopping and buy some new ones, but that would require either walking into town or driving to the nearest city, neither of which he had any interest in doing while it snowed. The senior paused for a few moments to watch the hated snow piling up outside then returned to pacing, then watched the snow, then paced.

This back-and-forth had been going on for several minutes when a book on his desk caught his eye. It was _Pride and Prejudice_, the one Roxas had lent him earlier that month when they'd had detention together. He'd put it there after getting back that night and hadn't touched it since.

_I should probably read it. If anything, it'll be something I can talk with him about, and he's going to want it back eventually. If I don't read it, he'll just think I'm an even bigger jerk than he already does._

Being careful not to damage it in any way, shape or form, Axel picked up the book and sat on his bed. His fingers traced over the cover art in mild admiration. Whoever had designed it must have had considerable talent and he liked to think the quality of the story itself was just as good. Roxas' description of what it was about sounded interesting, but the book itself looked a little on the boring side. It was better than the pacing he'd been reduced to, though, so he flipped to the first page and started to read.

Even if he didn't enjoy it, giving the book back to the blond would be an excuse to talk to him.

XXX

"Thank you and have a nice day!" Sora called as the front door of the shop closed behind the departing customers. He was seated behind the front counter as his boss, Miss Yuffie, worked in the back. His feet were propped on the bar connecting the legs of the stool and he rested his elbows on the counter as he sighed in relief. Finally, he had a moment to relax.

In the last three-and-a-half hours, the brunet had cleaned the window displays, swept the floor, polished a set of daggers and helped Yuffie reorganize the wall displays on top of helping the half-dozen or so customers that had wandered in since the shop opened at 9:00 that morning. He still had four hours to go.

An unhappy gurgling sound came from the brunet's stomach, signaling that it was time to eat, and he patted the flat surface of his abdomen soothingly.

"Yuffie, can I go on my lunch break?" he called, spinning on his stool to peer towards the back room. The noises coming from wherever Yuffie had disappeared to stopped and the woman appeared suddenly, wearing a leather smock and thick leather gloves.

"Is it lunch time already?" Her eyes darted towards the clock as Sora nodded. "Go ahead and take your break. I'll help anyone who comes in."

"Cool." Sora hopped off the stool and went to the small room where his coat was hung up. The nametag pinned to his chest was removed and and put it in the same place on the same shelf as he always left it before the brunet grabbed his coat. He shrugged it on as he left the shop, zipping it up and heading off down the street. There was a small café he usually went to during his breaks that was only a couple of blocks away, and he liked to sit out front and enjoy the sunlight while he ate. But today it was snowing and the outdoor seating area had been closed for winter, so he chose a small table by the windows instead so he could watch the snowflakes.

The waitress came and took his order almost as soon as he sat down, and Sora retrieved his cell phone from his pocket to see if anyone had tried texting or calling him while he was working after she walked away. There were two texts waiting to be opened. One was from Roxas, inviting him over to Kairi and Namine's dorm when he finished working; he didn't bother sending a reply back to his twin. The other was from Riku.

_ Hey, Brat, what are you doing tomorrow?_

Rolling his eyes at the nickname, Sora typed out his response and hit send.

_ Sleeping. What else would I do on a Sunday?_

_Don't make any plans. Your Sunday belongs to me._

The waitress returned with Sora's food, which he thanked her for, and he took a few bites as he considered that last text. He could go along with it, of course, but that wouldn't be as much fun as arguing a bit.

_ Uhhh since when do you own my Sundays?_

_Since you lost that bet._

Naturally, Sora knew exactly what bet Riku was talking about, but he decided to play dumb just to bug his friend.

_Bet? What bet?_

He ate a little more of his food and watched the snow as he waited for what he knew would probably be an annoyed response from the older boy.

_ The bet that means you're my slave for 24 hours. Be here at midnight. If you're late, I'll have to punish you~_

The squiggly line at the end of the text made the Riku-voice Sora could hear reading the message in his head take on a flirtatious edge and he blushed in spite of himself. Punish him? Why did that sound so…sexual?

_ Kinky, kinky, Riku. You know I'll accuse you of sexual harassment if you touch me, right?_

The rest of his food was consumed and Sora settled back in his chair—his break wasn't even half over yet, so he had plenty of time to relax.

_ Not if I order you not to, my little slave._

The text made Sora's stomach do a funny little flip. Did Riku mean that? Was he seriously going to "punish" him and force him to keep quiet about it? No, no, he wasn't. He couldn't. It was Riku, after all, and there was no way a guy like Riku was actually interested in a guy like Sora. He was too loud and immature for someone as serious as Riku.

_ I guess I'll just have to be on my best behavior then, won't I._

Shoving his phone back in his pocket, Sora went to the counter and paid for his meal before making the short walk back to Yuffie's shop. Just as he was hanging up his coat, he felt his phone buzz and retrieved it to see yet another message from Riku.

_ That's a good boy, Brat. My dorm, midnight ;)_

His stomach did another nervous flip. A winky face? Riku had never put faces in his texts before.

_I have a bad feeling about this._

But it was only 12:30pm. He had plenty of time to calm down before midnight and convince himself that there was nothing to worry about. Or maybe he'd get more nervous with the passing of each of the next eleven-and-a-half hours.

Unfortunately, it would probably be the latter.

XXX

Zexion looked at the blond snuggled in his arms and smiled fondly. He really was adorable, and Zexion couldn't believe the younger boy had agreed to go out with him, or that he was spending the entire weekend in the junior's dorm. After seeing him every day for weeks and weeks, he finally had a chance to really get to know him.

"Demyx," he said quietly, and the junior looked up at him with those eyes that Zexion had so quickly fallen in love with.

"Yeah?"

"Did you forgive Mister Marluxia for what he did?"

A guilty look stole onto Demyx's face. "Yes…should I not have?"

Zexion kissed the blond's forehead reassuringly. "No, I was just wondering."

"Oh. Okay." He smiled and snuggled close again.

It was quiet for a few minutes.

"Demyx?"

"Hm?"

"How did you get involved with him in the first place? I've been trying to figure it out since homecoming, and I can't." Zexion said this calmly and seriously, though the question of how Marluxia gained such access to the junior had been fraying at his nerves and he was much more anxious to hear the answer than he let on. "It's okay if you don't want to talk about it," he added, not wanting Demyx to feel pressured.

The blond stretched his legs out on the bed he and Zexion were currently sitting on and rested his head in the older boy's lap. Slender fingers combed through the spikes of his mullet.

"My freshman year, I was really shy and didn't have any friends, so I spent a lot of time in the music practice rooms. One day, I heard Mister Marluxia playing the piano. It was the most beautiful thing I'd ever heard, and he wasn't even playing a song. He was making it up as he went. When I asked him where he learned to play like that, he just smiled and offered to teach me."

Zexion nodded. "And then?"

"I became his star pupil. I've always loved music, and the only reason I got into this school was because of a music scholarship. Mister Marluxia promised to help me practice and to teach me everything I need to know to be a successful musician. I started having private lessons with him, every day after regular classes. I emailed with him over the summers, too. He was my only friend. If he hadn't spent so much time with me, I never would have gained enough confidence to make my own friends."

"So you trusted him."

"With my life. I admit, I had a little bit of a crush on him at first, but I've only seen him as a mentor and friend for a long time," Demyx said, looking up at Zexion with an expression that promised he didn't have feelings for anyone but him. The older boy smiled and kissed the blond softly.

"But things changed?" he asked once he'd pulled away.

Nodding, the blond settled his cheek on Zexion's thigh comfortably. "He'd always been sort of physical and touched my arm or lower back or hand while he was correcting me or telling me I was doing well, even at the beginning. Then he started to hug me, not the hugs I always got after performances, but long hugs that seemed too intimate for a teacher to give a student, and he gave them to me whenever he saw me and before I left, sometimes in the middle of the lesson. Towards the end of last year, it escalated to kisses on my hands or forehead, sometimes my cheek. I kind of felt like he was trying to woo me or something, but I convinced myself that I was just imagining it. I couldn't believe someone like Mister Marluxia would actually be interested in me, you know?"

"I believe it," Zexion interrupted. "I don't like it, but I definitely understand why he was attracted to you."

Demyx blushed. "Really?"

"Really. I had no idea who you were when I saw you at the homecoming dance, and I tried to forget about you, but I couldn't, no matter how hard I tried."

The senior's fingers ran through the blond hair again as he remembered the day he'd found him, how frantic he'd felt when Demyx hadn't been in the library, the furious energy that had flooded his veins at the sight of the teacher stripping Demyx as the blond cried.

"That day in the hall…I've never been so angry in my entire life. I wanted to beat him to death just for touching you, and I meant it when I said I'd kill him if he didn't leave you alone."

Demyx laughed quietly even though he could tell how serious the older boy was. "You were terrifying. Mister Marluxia didn't stand a chance."

The older boy chuckled. "Thanks. I'm sorry I yelled at you, though. You didn't deserve it."

"Don't apologize." The blond sat up and smiled at the blue-haired senior. "I don't care that you yelled at me—maybe you were right. Maybe I should have fought more."

Zexion shook his head then kissed the younger boy lightly—it occurred to him that he was kissing him a lot for having only introduced himself yesterday, but he didn't care. He liked kissing Demyx. "You shouldn't have had to fight at all. Continue with your story?"

Nodding, Demyx laid down again. "This year, he started kissing me a lot, not on the mouth, but on my hands and face, sometimes my neck or shoulder. It wasn't until I asked him why he was acting the way he was that he really kissed me for the first time. I was so surprised…I didn't know what to do. I mean, what are you supposed to do when your best friend who is also your teacher kisses you?" He shook his head, sighing. "It was just a little kiss, and he smiled at me afterwards, saying I looked so cute when I was surprised. I got scared after that. I tried making up excuses not to have lessons with him so often, but when he told me I needed to keep up with my studies or I'd never succeed, I made myself go."

"He blackmailed you," Zexion said quietly, forcing himself with all his might to remain calm and stay where he was. All he wanted at that moment was to go find that pink-haired bastard of a teacher and make him drink a few of the senior's favorite acidic compounds, but he refrained. Murder wouldn't look good on his resume.

"I guess. I mean, he _was_ teaching me a lot about music. He's really, really talented and I didn't want to mess up my chances, but he got worse. He touched me all the time and was always really close to me. It made me uncomfortable. 'As long as you practice and do as I say, you'll do splendidly.' That's what he said every time I resisted, so I told him that I had too much homework to come for lessons every day. He didn't like it very much, but he agreed to only have lessons twice a week. I tried to ignore it when he would touch me or lean close like he wanted to kiss me, but he started to get irritated and then he started being…sort of mean. He acted like I was taking his help for granted and made me feel bad for resisting him."

"That's ridiculous," Zexion interrupted again. "He has no right to harass you and insist on a physical relationship."

"I know, but…I didn't know what else to do…he made comments about how I had so much potential and I was letting it go to waste because I wasn't practicing enough, how it would all be for nothing if I didn't follow his instructions. I got so worried about ruining my future that I just…gave in. I had lessons every day again, and I let him kiss me without arguing.

"Then it was time for homecoming. I couldn't believe it had only been a month since he'd kissed me—it felt like he'd been doing it for years. At the dance, I tried to hide from him, but he managed to catch me on my own and, well, you know what happened," he finished, focusing on the stitching of Zexion's pant leg as if by doing so he could pretend that everything he'd just described wasn't real.

"What about between the dance and when I found you in the hallway?"

Demyx bit his lip before speaking. "That night at the dance was the first time he really touched me. I couldn't believe he'd done it. I didn't want to believe it. I spent the rest of the weekend locked in my dorm. On Monday, he acted like it hadn't even happened. He was smiling and happy, he complimented me on every little thing I did and he wasn't being intimate at all. I was so confused, I almost started hoping things would go back to the way they were before. But at the end of the lesson, when I was about to leave, he called me back and the way he said my name…I just started crying. I couldn't help it. The way he looked at me was so…so _hungry_ and I was terrified he was going to do it again and I wanted to die I was so ashamed."

He stopped as he remembered that look, and the way the teacher had hugged him and tried to comfort him, promising that it would be all right and that Demyx didn't need to cry because Marluxia was going to take care of him. Eventually the teacher had walked him back to his dorm and left him there. Demyx remembered wishing he'd never gone to this school and wanting to go home but knowing that even if he did, he'd never be able to forget what happened or tell anyone. He'd stopped going to lessons completely after that.

"Demyx, it's all right," he heard Zexion whisper reassuringly. "He isn't going to bother you anymore. You don't have to be scared or ashamed. None of it was your fault."

"I-I know," the blond choked out, "but it feels like I let it happen. I thought about reporting him to Headmaster Xemnas all the time but I've heard such awful stories about him that I was scared to. I didn't think anyone would believe me anyway because Mister Marluxia is sophisticated and elegant and doesn't seem like the kind of guy that would assault a student, you know? I just…felt so trapped and helpless and like there was nothing I could do even after I quit the lessons…it felt like he owned me or something."

Zexion gripped the younger boy's shoulders and made him sit up, looking into his eyes with the most sincere expression he could muster. "That's not true. You did not let that happen, Demyx. Do you hear me? It was not your fault. Mister Marluxia took advantage of you, but it's over and he's not going to do it again. He apologized and you forgave him, and I'm not going to let anyone hurt you like that ever again. Okay?"

The junior stared at him for a moment before lunging forward and hugging him, burying his face in the older student's shoulder as Zexion rubbed his back.

"I'm going to protect you," he whispered. "I promise. I'm not going to let anyone hurt you, Demyx. Ever."

Demyx smiled even though he knew the older boy couldn't see it, calming down so quickly just from being in the senior's embrace. "I know."

XXX

And this was what he'd been reduced to.

Why had he ever thought it would be a good idea to hang out with Kairi and Namine while they were having their Pampering Day? Oh, right. He thought they'd have focused on themselves and each other enough that he could occupy a corner without being in the way and study. But no. That plan had gone awry within half an hour of his arrival.

Somehow, Roxas had gotten caught up in Pampering Day.

It was his own fault, really. Kairi had noticed him chewing his nails, and the redhead had been "absolutely horrified" that he had such a bad habit. Even though he'd tried to hide his hands and claimed he only did it when he was nervous, the two girls had wrestled with him until they could examine his nails. Then they'd deemed him to be in need of an "emergency mani." Roxas soon learned that "mani" was short for manicure, and as he sat with his hands soaking in some herbal cleansing water something or other while Namine and Kairi chatted over him and brushed through his hair, he'd never felt so emasculated in his life.

_At least I managed to text Sora before they forced me into this. Hopefully, they'll forget about me when he gets here._

He tried to use that thought to comfort himself, and really, what was so bad about letting a couple of girls do his nails? As long as they didn't try to paint them or anything…he could handle the herbal water and having his nails filed. It was kind of annoying when they broke and snagged on his clothes. Eh, maybe this wasn't so bad. Who knew, maybe they'd end up doing Sora's nails, too.


	31. Chapter 31

There was no way that text meant what he thought it meant. Definitely not. It was just harmless flirting like always. Riku wouldn't really punish him if he was late.

"Sora."

He didn't need to be so nervous. Nothing was going to happen. They were just friends, after all.

"Sora?"

Really, really flirtatious friends. But that was normal, right? Friends flirted, didn't they? He flirted with Kairi, after all, and that was just for fun just like how he flirted with Riku. Kairi was a girl, though. Did that make a difference? And he flirted with Riku way more than he ever flirted with Kairi. The amount of flirting meant something, right?

Ugh, this was all so complicated. Emotions were stupid. Just because Riku had a great smile and he was a little taller than Sora and athletic with those muscles Sora could barely manage to take his eyes off of, and those stupid green-blue eyes that made him blush like an embarrassed little girl and did he really have to mention the older boy's hair?

_Oh, crap. Am…am I…in like with Riku?_

"Sora!"

"What?" The brunet practically jumped out of his bed, blue eyes wide. Roxas pointed at the clock.

"Aren't you supposed to be at Riku's in five minutes?"

Sora's eyes widened even further. "Crap!" Frantic, he threw his pajamas and clothes for tomorrow into his bag, along with his toothbrush and his laptop. "Argh, why didn't I pack earlier?!"

Rolling his eyes, Roxas watched his twin with amusement and mild curiosity. "What's the rush? It's just Riku."

"Because!" The word was shouted as Sora nearly fell while trying to put on his shoes. "He'll punish me if I'm late!"

"Punish?" Roxas repeated, but it was too late. His twin was already gone, bag slung haphazardly over his shoulder and his coat half on as he sprinted down the hall.

_Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap! Please don't be late, please don't be late!_

He burst through the doors of the freshman dorm hall and raced towards the sophomore hall, his coat still only half on, but he didn't notice the cold. All his focus was on the lights glowing through the lobby windows of the hall he was running towards.

The door opened as he drew near and Sora hurtled through without slowing, which led him to nearly slip and almost fall as his snow-covered shoes searched for traction on the tile floor. Just as he was about to crash into one of the lobby chairs, a hand grabbed his wrist and pulled, swinging him around, and suddenly he found himself face-to-face with none other than Riku. He was so startled that he didn't immediately notice the arm around his waist or that his chest was pressed against the older boy's as Riku continued to hold his wrist. When he did finally realize how very close he was to the other student, a dark blush spread over his cheeks and he lowered his gaze away from those seriously mesmerizing teal eyes. Bad move. The next thing his eyes landed on was Riku's mouth, the lips twitched up in a smirk that made Sora's heart thud. Being pressed up against Riku, Sora was sure the older boy could feel his heart beating so hard it might crack a rib, and from the way Riku's smirk turned into an outright grin, he knew exactly how the brunet was reacting to the situation.

"Calling it a bit close, aren't you, Brat?"

In vain, Sora tried to free his wrist from the silver-haired athlete's grasp as he looked at anything but Riku. "W-what?"

"It's 12:01. You were almost late, but lucky for you I opened the door and you barely made it inside by midnight. Guess that means I don't get to punish you…yet." The last bit was purred in a seductive tone that made Sora feel flustered and nervous and much too warm.

"U-um…" he stuttered, not knowing what else to say.

Riku laughed and stepped back, removing his arm from the shorter boy's waist though he didn't release Sora's wrist. Grateful, the brunet let out a breath and slumped a little in relief; he'd managed to escape the threat he'd been dreading for the last eleven-and-a-half hours.

"Come on, Brat." Riku grinned, finally releasing Sora's wrist and instead wrapping his arm around the shorter boy's shoulders. "I've got work for you to do."

Despite the relief he'd felt moments ago. Sora felt his stomach sink at the statement. What had he gotten himself into this time?

"You've got to be kidding me!"

"Nope."

"You seriously want me to clean up this whole mess? It looks like you have a tornado for a roommate!"

"Don't be dramatic, Sora. I just haven't bothered cleaning up after myself over the last week."

"This is only from a _week?"_

Riku grinned. "I may have been a bit messier than usual."

"_Why?"_ Sora demanded, still not quite ready to accept the task he'd been assigned.

"You didn't think I was going to make this easy for you, did you?"

Speechless, Sora stared at the older boy in disbelief. He'd gone out of his way and made this huge mess just so he could make Sora clean it up for him? In that case, Sora _really _didn't want to know what his punishment for being late would have been. Just cleaning Riku's dorm was a daunting chore. The bed wasn't made and it looked like the blankets had mostly been pulled out. Dirty dishes were piled in the sink, stacks of books and papers lay on and around the sophomore's desk waiting to be sorted, and there were clothes and trash _every_where.

With a sigh, Sora moved towards the bed. It was a good place to start and then at least Riku would have somewhere to be that wouldn't be in Sora's way.

"Oh, I almost forgot."

Sora looked up as Riku went to the walk-in closet, suspicious. Now what?

The older boy rifled through the contents of his closet, muttering under his breath. Finally, he found what he was looking for and stepped back out into the room, holding it up before him with the biggest smirk Sora had ever seen. Then the brunet turned his attention to what Riku was holding. His jaw dropped.

"No. No, no, no, no! I am not wearing that, Riku!"

"Yes, you are. Now, be a good boy and get dressed before I dress you myself."

"Screw you! I'm not doing it!"

"Fine."

Before Sora had a chance to make a run for it, the older boy tackled him to the ground, easily catching both of Sora's wrists in one hand and pinning them. With his other hand, he pushed the brunet's shirt up to reveal his stomach then chest as Sora struggled and yelled his defiance. Cold air on his torso made the younger boy fight even harder, though it was no use. His shirt was removed completely within the next few moments and then Riku's hand had moved down to open his belt.

"S-seriously, Riku, knock it if! This isn't funny!" Tears of frustration and embarrassment were pricking at his eyes and his voice was on the verge of cracking.

His belt slid free of the belt loops on his jeans and Sora tried to pull his legs closer to his body.

"All right, all right! I'll wear it!" he surrendered, desperate for anything that would stop Riku from stripping him. "Just get off!"

"Are you going to behave?" Riku looked like he was trying not to laugh at how red Sora's face was.

"…yes."

"Good." As if that was all he wanted to hear, Riku got up and tossed Sora's shirt and belt into the corner where the brunet's bag and coat were. "Finish changing then get to work. You're my slave until midnight tomorrow, so don't forget who the boss is."

Sora rolled his eyes and stood, snatching his "uniform" off the floor and stalking into the closet to change. This was ridiculous. It was humiliating. He would never have done something like that to Riku if he'd been the one to win the bet. Why did he ever have to come up with this stupid Slave-for-a-Day thing? Ugh.

Once he was changed, he didn't want to leave the closet. He knew he looked horrible and he didn't want Riku to see him like this. It was too embarrassing.

"Hurry up, Brat. This dorm isn't going to clean itself."

"Riku," Sora whined through the closet door, "please, don't make me do this."

"You don't like what I picked for you?"

"N-no, it's just…um…"

The door opened and he turned away shyly, wrapping his arms around his exposed torso in an attempt to shield himself from Riku's eyes.

"You look fine, Sora."

Wait…he hadn't called him "Brat"? And he sounded…comforting?

Peeking up through his eyelashes, Sora met Riku's gaze and smiled nervously. "Really?"

"Really. That looks good on you."

Somewhat reassured but still uncomfortable, Sora turned and dropped his arms so Riku had a clear view of him. "But…isn't it…?"

The older boy's eyes raked over him, making Sora want to shiver, but he forced himself to remain still. "What?"

"Kind of…slutty?"

Both boys looked at Sora's attire, examining the bright blue short-shorts that barely concealed his ass—he couldn't even wear his boxers under them—and the black suspenders attached to them stretching over his shoulders. Riku shrugged.

"There's a matching blue collar, if that'll make you feel better."

Oh, mother of…

Sora felt like he was about to shrivel up and die of embarrassment. "You…you bought a collar?"

"It came with the shorts. There's shoes, too, but you don't need those since we'll be inside for the entire twenty-four hours."

"When did you buy all this?" the brunet asked, not entirely sure he wanted to know. "Where?"

The older boy shrugged again. "I ordered it online about a week ago. It just got here yesterday."

Even though that seemed like a lot of effort for something as silly as the bet they'd made over midterms, Sora said nothing more as he left the closet and tossed his discarded clothes into the same corner as his other belongings. He still felt exposed, but at least Riku wasn't forcing him to wear the collar. It was only for twenty-four hours. He could do this as long as he didn't do something to earn a punishment from his silver-haired friend.

Riku watched as Sora crossed the room and bent over the bed, smirking, his eyes practically glued to the way the shorts rode up with every little movement. Maybe it was a little much, buying the outfit and forcing the younger boy to wear it, but it was too late to change his mind. Besides, he hadn't been lying when he said it looked good on the brunet, and at least he hadn't pushed his luck with the collar.

_Face it, buddy. You've got the hots for the kid, that's why you've got him practically naked while he cleans your dorm. Looks like Kairi was right about you. Well, partially._

With nothing better to do, the silver-haired boy sat in the chair set up before his TV and turned on his gaming system, though he often glanced over to watch Sora work and admire the younger boy's body while he played. It made him feel like a pervert, dressing Sora the way he had and then watching him with what was probably a grin or smirk, but he didn't care. He was tired of all this flirting without knowing for sure if it was serious or silly, and this weekend, he was making his move.

Pulling at the shorts in an attempt to get them to stop riding up, Sora finished making Riku's bed then sighed. He looked around at the rest of the room and decided the next step would be to gather all the dirty clothes and put them in the hamper he'd seen in the closet, then pick up the trash. Another sigh escaped him as he began picking up the scattered articles of clothes, and he got Riku watching him; his cheeks heated with a blush.

"What?"

"Nothing. Just checking on your progress."

Sora smiled playfully. "Oh, is that why you were staring at my ass?"

"It's hard to ignore, especially in those shorts," the older boy shot back with a smirk, and to his amusement, Sora turned so his back was to Riku and looked at his backside over his shoulder.

"This outfit is definitely slutty."

"Then I guess it's a good thing you make a sexy little slut."

Pretending to be shocked and offended, Sora put his hands on his hips and huffed then went back to picking up the clothes, now making sure his movements were slow and deliberate just because he knew Riku was watching. He even went as far as to stretch his back out when he bent to pick something up and flashed the older boy smoldering looks.

This went on until all the clothes had been put in the hamper and the trash thrown away, and then the only thing left was Riku's desk and the dishes by the sink.

"Are you going to help me so I at least know where you want things?" he asked as he settled himself on the floor among a few of the stacks and began rifling through one of them.

"Maybe. There's something you have to do to earn my help, though."

Sora widened his eyes innocently. "What?"

With yet another smirk, Riku abandoned his chair in front of the TV and sat just behind Sora. The brunet looked at him in confusion then squeaked when Riku's arms wrapped around his waist and he was pulled backwards into the older student's lap.

"Riku! What are you doing?" he demanded, struggling weakly against his friend's hold.

_Oh, god, what's he doing what's he doing what's he doing? This is not okay! I'm practically naked what is he doing?_

Riku rolled his eyes and held Sora securely against his chest. "Relax, will you? This way I can see everything you look at and it'll be faster for us to go through the stacks."

"O-oh…okay…" Still not sure about the way this situation was going, Sora picked up the first item on the nearest stack and held it up so they both could see it. He wouldn't admit it, but he was actually pretty comfortable sitting in the taller boy's lap, and it was pleasantly warm.

"Trash." The word was spoken right next to his ear and he felt a chin rest on his shoulder. Without a word, he set the paper aside as the beginning of a trash pile and picked up the next item.

Over the next two hours, they went through each of the stacks, the trash pile slowly growing and what wasn't deemed trash was organized into new stacks to be put away when they finished sorting through it all. They were nearly finished when Sora started yawning, the late hour getting to him and making him lean more and more of his weight back against the older boy. At least Riku didn't seem to mind, and after a particularly large yawn, he chuckled.

"All right, time for bed. We can finish in the morning, and then you can continue with the list I have for you," Riku said quietly, helping Sora to his feet then standing.

The younger boy whined tiredly. "List?"

Another chuckle. "Yep. But don't worry about it for now. For now, we sleep."

"M'kay…"

His eyes almost completely shut, Sora shuffled his way across the now clean dorm to the corner his belongings occupied and opened his bag, searching for his pajamas. It didn't occur to him to step into the closet to change, so he stripped out of the shorts and suspenders where he stood and pulled on his boxers, a pair of soft cotton pajama pants and a men's sleeveless pajama shirt. When he turned around again, Riku had also changed, though he wore pajama pants without a shirt.

"Why're you always half dressed?" he asked sleepily, frowning a little as he poked the older boy in the chest. "It's not nice."

Amused, Riku gently gripped the brunet's shoulders and steered him towards the bed. "What do you mean, it isn't nice?"

"It's not," Sora insisted as he climbed onto the bed and settled comfortably.

"Why not?" Still smiling, Riku pulled the blankets over himself and Sora then wrapped his arms around the shorter boy's waist, pulling him close. Sora didn't seem to notice, and if he did, he didn't care.

"Makes me think weird thoughts…"

His curiosity spiking, Riku forced himself to sound casual. "Like what?" But Sora was already fast asleep, so he didn't respond, and Riku sighed. If the brunet remembered this mini conversation in the morning, then Riku would ask what he'd meant by saying it wasn't nice for him to go shirtless. If not, well, he'd have to find some other way to bring it up and find out.

A hand shaking his shoulder woke Sora, and he rolled over to see Riku standing over him. Immediately, he remembered the outfit he was going to have to put on and he groaned, blushing darkly and pulling the blankets up over his head.

"Get up or you don't get any breakfast, Brat."

With the threat of not being given any food made, Sora obediently got out of bed and stretched, yawning. His teeth felt gross, which meant he hadn't remembered to brush them before going to sleep, and he knew his breath must smell awful. Ignoring Riku, he went to his bag and retrieved his toothbrush then went to the sink that was still mostly full of dirty dishes.

"Can I use your toothpaste? I forgot mine."

"Go ahead."

Sora wasted no time in brushing his teeth and ridding his mouth of that awful taste. When he finished and turned around, Riku was sitting on the bed with two bowls of microwaveable oatmeal, the smell of which enticed the brunet to move closer to investigate.

"One is strawberries and cream, the other is brown sugar and cinnamon," Riku informed him, holding up each bowl to indicate which was which. Wordlessly, Sora took the strawberries and cream oatmeal and sat beside his friend, stirring it and blowing on it before taking a bite. Naturally, it tasted good enough to be worth having gotten out of bed for. The two boys ate in silence, and when they had both finished, Sora took the bowls to the sink to be washed along with the rest of the dishes.

"I have to wear those shorts again, don't I." It wasn't a question; he was almost positive Riku was going to insist on the shorts and suspenders even though he'd brought clothes to wear for the day.

"Yep."

Sighing, Sora once again vanished into the closet and changed then went to the sink and searched in the cabinet underneath for the soap. Once he'd found it, he filled the sink with hot water and began washing the dishes, humming absently as he did so and swaying a little in time with the song.

"Look at you," Riku chuckled, drawing Sora's attention to wear the silver-haired boy was once again seated before his TV. "You look like a housewife."

Sora rolled his eyes. "I thought you said I looked like a slut."

"A sexy little slut," the older boy corrected him.

"Sorry. I forgot that those two words somehow make it less offensive." His tone was sarcastic though he continued washing the dishes.

"Is it still offensive if I mean it?"

Raising an eyebrow, Sora half turned to look at his friend. "You're saying you really think I'm a slut? You do realize I've never dated anyone or even had my first kiss, right?"

"Of course I'm not saying you're a slut! I _meant_ that I really think you're sexy."

The word made Sora's face turn a deep shade of red and he turned back to the sink, scrubbing the dishes with renewed vigor. Several responses jumped to the front of his mind but he held each of them back.

_So you're just a perv and that's why I have to wear this outfit?_

_If you think I'm sexy, then why are you teasing me all the time? Don't you have the guts to ask me out like a normal person?_

There were others, as well, but the worst, the worst thing he almost said was, _then get over here and kiss me before I decide I don't like you after all._

He didn't, though. He couldn't say that. Riku would laugh at him if he said something so…so…whatever. He just knew he couldn't say something like that. So he bit his tongue and finished the dishes, setting them out on a towel to drip dry and be put away later. Then he moved to the desk and began putting away what he and Riku had sorted and organized the night before, avoiding the silver-haired boy's gaze the entire time. He knew Riku was watching him—he could practically feel the teal eyes following his every move, but he didn't look. Looking would just betray what he was thinking, and if Riku noticed and did actually kiss him, then, well, Sora didn't know what he would do. Kiss back? Push him away? It would be his first kiss, and he wasn't sure if he wanted it to be under these circumstances, scantily dressed and forced to obey Riku's every command until midnight.

No, it was better that he just go along with what the older boy wanted and avoided earning himself a "punishment," get out of this whole situation unscathed and go back to their regular ways tomorrow. Harmless flirting, no short-shorts or being called a "sexy little slut." Even though he kind of liked the way Riku said it. It made his stomach do little flips and he blushed just thinking about it, imagining what it would sound like if the older boy whispered it in his ear in that purring tone he used sometimes that made Sora want to curl his toes.

But that would never happen, because even if Riku really did think he was sexy, and even if Sora did have a crush on the older boy, they were just friends. Good friends, flirty friends, but friends all the same. Hell, Sora hadn't even decided to forgive Riku for that fight all those weeks ago yet, and the taller boy was still supposed to be working to earn their friendship back. Only after the point when Sora knew that it was enough would he let himself admit how much he liked the older student. Until then, he would settle for knowing Riku found him attractive and imagining what other dirty things his flirtatious friend might whisper in his ear.


	32. Chapter 32

"So, what all is on this list you were talking about last night?" Sora asked, plopping down on the futon next to Riku. Already today he'd washed and put away the dishes, and the older boy's desk was completely reorganized. The floor was clear but could use a good vacuuming, and the bed needed to be remade since they'd slept in it last night.

_Oh, god…I slept with Riku last night…_ Immediately, he remembered how warm he'd been, held against his friend's chest and snuggled comfortably under the blankets. _That was really nice…_

An arm being wrapped around his bare shoulders drew Sora's attention back to the present and he looked to where Riku was sitting beside him, flushing slightly to be so close to the older boy.

"First, you have to remake the bed. Then vacuum and sweep. My movies and games need to be alphabetized, and at some point we're going to shower and do laundry."

Sora was sure he hadn't heard that right. "We?" The silver-haired athlete smirked and Sora felt his entire body heat with a blush as he looked away from those teal eyes.

"We. You don't think I'm going to leave you on your own, do you?"

"No…"

"No, what?"

Forehead creasing in disbelief, Sora stared at Riku just to make sure the older boy was serious. "No…Master Riku."

A hand ruffled his hair. "Good boy. Now, go and make the bed."

With a sigh, Sora nodded and obediently got up. "Yes, Master Riku." Before he had a chance to step away from the futon, he felt the shape of a hand striking his shorts-clad bottom and whined in the back of his throat, instantly dropping to sit on the floor with his knees to his chest and his arms wrapped around them, hiding his face as he turned a deep red.

Riku laughed. "That was precious. I'll have to do that to you more often."

Another whine escaped Sora but he didn't argue. Until midnight, Riku could do whatever he wanted. Besides, at least this time they were alone and not with friends like before. Sora's reaction had been out of surprise more than anything else, but he was definitely going to be on his guard for the rest of the day, and he had a ways to go. It wasn't even noon yet.

"All right, up you get. Go make the bed."

Still blushing, Sora slowly uncurled himself and stood again, though he was careful to keep his backside out of reach of the older boy as he moved to the ladder and climbed into the loft to remake the bed. It only took him a few moments since the blankets only needed to be straightened and the pillows reset, but he took his time. Anything to keep him away from Riku for a little longer.

_Wow, look at me. I'm actually scared of what he might do. Come on, Sora. This is Riku we're talking about. He's your best friend. Remember how he comforted you after the pool incident. He won't do anything to upset you, and if he does on accident, he'll apologize. Quit being a wuss and show him what you're made of. Two can play this game, you know._

Well, if that was the way Riku wanted to play, then Sora would just have to play along.

As quietly as he could, the brunet climbed down from the loft and moved to stand just behind Riku's chair—the older boy was once again playing videogames. Leaning down, Sora slid his hands over the other student's shoulders and down his chest as he nuzzled into Riku's neck; he smirked when he felt Riku shiver.

"Master Riku," he purred, going so far as to place a kiss just behind his victim's ear.

Riku swallowed thickly, his game forgotten as he focused on the hands rubbing small circles on his chest. "Y-yes?"

"The bed's made…what would you like me to do next…?"

"Uh…" Mind racing, Riku tried to come up with an answer that didn't involve messing the bed up all over again or pinning the younger boy to the nearest flat surface. "Vacuum…?"

"Are you sure?" Sora's hands moved down and began lightly tracing the abs he could feel through the older teen's shirt. "I am your slave, after all…you can make me do…anything…"

Riku bit his tongue hard and discreetly dug his nails into his palm to keep himself from reacting. The brunet was toying with him and unless he wanted to become the victim of his own game he needed to regain control, and fast. "Yes, I'm sure. Now, go."

Undeterred, Sora made sure to nuzzle the older boy's cheek before pulling away. "Yes, Master Riku." Smirking to himself, he left Riku in his chair and went to fetch the portable vacuum out of the closet and plugged it in; he flicked it on and hummed as it came to life, pushing it over the carpet to suck up any dirt. He knew he'd gotten to the other athlete. His touch had made the silver-haired boy tremble and Sora couldn't help the gleeful triumph he felt at that small victory.

_See, Riku? You're not the only one who knows how to be seductive._

Oh, god. He was going to pay for that chest-rubbing he'd done, and the kiss. And the suggestive tone. Maybe participating in Riku's game wasn't such a good idea. Maybe it was a really, really bad idea.

"Come on, Sora, time for your bath."

Definitely a very, _very_ bad idea.

"Yes, Master Riku." Meek, Sora followed the older sophomore down the hall towards the bathrooms, a towel around his waist. Unfortunately for him, Riku had decided that since he wasn't going to wear the shorts and suspenders to the shower, he had to wear the collar. So there he was, following his "master" down the hall wearing a towel and a collar and dreading what might happen once they reached the bathroom and Riku locked the shower door. He could see it now, the water pouring down on them, steam filling the air and sticking to their skin, the shower wall cold against his back as the older boy pressed him against it, purring in his ear to be a good boy and stay quiet, or they'd both get in trouble, and then of course Riku would have to punish him for misbehaving, so he'd have to bite his lip to keep from making a sound as Riku—

_Whoa! Get a hold of yourself, Sora! None of that's going to happen!_ He shook himself until the images faded and concentrated on not looking scared.

The borrowed flipflops her wore were loud against the tile floor when they walked into the bathroom, and Sora tried to hang back as much as possible without seeming nervous as Riku chose the shower stall in the corner. Without thinking, he moved to step into the one next to it, only to have the older boy reach out and grab onto his collar, stopping him.

"Where are you going?"

It was hard to swallow the lump in his throat. "U-um…in…here?"

Riku tsked his tongue then smirked. "I don't think so." Using his grip on the collar, he pulled Sora over and led him into the corner stall, and Sora almost whimpered, images of his mini-fantasy flashing through his mind.

"R-Riku!"

"Master Riku," the older boy corrected him patiently, reaching into the shower and turning the knob so the water came on. Sora watched apprehensively as the silver-haired athlete took his bottle of shampoo and a bar of soap from his shower caddy and placed them on one of the little built-in shelves on the shower wall. Turning, Riku nudged the shower caddy into the corner of the little changing space he currently shared with the brunet, then tested the water to see if it was warm enough.

"Is this too hot for you?" he asked, gesturing for Sora to reach in and feel the water, which he did without meeting the teal-eyed gaze.

"It's fine."

"Then let's go." Without even a moment's hesitation, Riku took the towel from around his waist and hung it on one of the little silver hooks on the wall before stepping into the shower.

Sora's face couldn't have gotten any redder than it was at that moment. After all the times they'd worked out and showered in the locker room afterwards, both for P.E. and on their own, he'd never seen Riku completely naked before, and he was almost afraid to look. Hell, the last time he'd shared a shower with someone, he'd been five, and he'd shared with Roxas. This being the case, he carefully kept his gaze up so he wouldn't see anything he hadn't seen before as he nervously hung up his own towel and followed his "master," shutting the curtain behind himself.

There was barely enough room for both boys to stand under the spray of the water without touching, and it was obvious to them both that Riku was perfectly calm while Sora felt like he might pass out. It was possible to pass out from sheer nervousness, right? Didn't that happen? Part of him wanted it to, just so he wouldn't have to shower with this boy who made him blush and captured his attention without even trying. On the other hand, he didn't want to be unconscious and have Riku dry him off and carry him back to the dorm. That would be _too_ embarrassing to deal with after he woke up, so he began to hope that he wouldn't faint or anything like that. Staying conscious was definitely preferable, considering the circumstances.

Smiling slightly, Riku picked up his bottle of shampoo and popped the lid open. "Turn around."

Sora froze as a scared-yet-strangely-excited shiver raced along his spine; a whole new mini-fantasy invaded his thoughts. "W-what? Why?"

"So I can pin you to the wall and have my way with your body, of course."

All of the blood drained from Sora's face, and Riku couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"So I can wash your hair, you dope," he said, his tone making it obvious that he couldn't believe Sora had really thought he would do such a thing to him. "Now turn around."

Embarrassed, Sora did as he was told and turned, quickly ducking his head under the spray so his hair was completely soaked, then held still so the older boy could wash his hair without the water immediately rinsing it out. The moment he felt Riku's fingers on his scalp, he bit his lip to hold in a soft moan. He couldn't even remember the last time someone else had washed his hair for him, but damn, it felt _good._ Riku's fingers were pressing hard enough against his scalp to ensure his hair would be thoroughly cleaned by the shampoo being lathered into it, but not hard enough to hurt, and Sora felt himself sigh as his shoulders relaxed and slumped a little. He heard Riku chuckle.

"I take it you're enjoying yourself?"

"Mmhm," the brunet hummed, smiling as those fingers worked from the top of his forehead to the back of his neck, rubbing the whole way. "Feels good."

"Good."

Several minutes of this passed and Sora thought he might fall asleep, but then the fingers were gone and he whined quietly in disappointment—Riku laughed.

"Don't worry, Brat. The shower's not over yet."

The next thing he felt was soap-covered hands on the back of his neck, slipping under the collar, rubbing out across his shoulders then down his back in small figure eight movements. The touch made his skin tingle and his back arch, and before he could stop himself he sighed the older boy's name in a way that could only be described as _wanting._ It made his cheeks heat in a blush and he could practically feel the smirk that was almost definitely curving the older boy's lips at the sound, but he made no move to make excuses for himself. What could he say or do, anyway?

Slowly, the hands moved up his spine and over his shoulders once more to slide down his arms, the soap making Riku's calloused palms slide over Sora's flesh with almost no friction. Once his arms were sufficiently clean, Riku moved on and rubbed at his sides instead, being careful not to tickle the younger boy.

"Face me."

Too relaxed to consider what this latest command might entail, Sora obediently turned and smiled up at Riku as those soapy hands began to rub over his collarbone then his chest; he shivered when Riku's palms passed over his nipples and he bit his lip, hoping the older boy hadn't noticed. Whether he had or not, Riku made no comment and silently worked his hands lower and lower, until Sora's hands wrapped around his wrists, stopping him before he could go below the brunet's waist.

"W-wait," he said quietly, causing Riku to lift his gaze. The blue eyes were troubled, and Riku knew right away that he couldn't do anything more to the younger boy without upsetting him, so he chuckled and pulled his hands away.

"The rest of you is your responsibility," he informed his friend, then stepped under the spray of the shower to wet his hair.

Sora heaved a sigh of relief and picked up the bar of soap, hurriedly washing his legs and most private of body parts while Riku was busy washing his hair and own body. He finished before the older boy and rinsed himself off before stepping out of the shower, careful not to slip as he did so. The last thing he needed now was to slip and have Riku catch him exactly the way he had the first time they'd met. Riku finished his shower and shut the water off only moments later.

"Hand me my towel, would you?"

Holding his own towel in front of his body to shield himself from view, Sora took the other towel from the wall and passed it to his friend then finished drying off. "Do I have to put those shorts back on when we get back to your room?"

"Naw, we'll throw them in the wash with the rest of my clothes." Riku grinned. "But I have something else for you to wear, and you have to keep the collar on until midnight."

Relieved and suspicious at the same time, Sora simply nodded as he wrapped the towel securely around his waist and waited for his "master" to finish so they could return to the dorm room.

"What do I have to wear, now?" the brunet asked once the door was securely locked and Riku had stepped into the closet to dress.

"You'll see."

With an impatient huff, Sora went to where his bag still sat, unopened in the corner, and pulled out a clean pair of boxers, which he slipped on under his towel, then donned a T-shirt and dropped onto the futon to wait. His curiosity led him to imagine all sorts of things this new outfit could be. Another pair of shorts? Some sort of slutty butler uniform? Whatever it was, it was something he would still be able to wear the collar with.

When Riku stepped out of the closet, he had his hands behind his back, and the smirk on his face made Sora's stomach do an anxious flip. "You ready to see what else I bought for you?" he purred, and Sora gulped.

"U-um…yes?"

With a flourish, the older boy revealed what he'd been hiding, and Sora's jaw dropped so far he was surprised it didn't land in his lap.

"You _pervert!"_ he shouted, making Riku laugh. "Where the hell did you even_ get_ that?!"

"The internet is a wonderful thing, Sora," the older boy replied calmly, tossing the outfit at the brunet. "Get dressed. We've got laundry to do."

"You're insane if you think I'm putting that on!"

One silver eyebrow went up and Riku slowly approached the futon; Sora gulped and slid down, blue eyes widening.

"We already went over this, Sora," he cooed, though there was a threat behind the words. "Get dressed, or I'll dress you myself."

Sora put on the bravest face he could muster. "No."

Just like that, Riku had him pinned to the futon and was removing his t-shirt just like he'd done when Sora refused to wear the blue shorts and suspenders. Now, however, his task was made easier by the fact that the younger boy was only wearing a t-shirt and boxers, so it took him less than five minutes to strip and redress the brunet. Panting but triumphant, he stood and surveyed his work, admiring the way this new outfit looked. Sora was also out of breath and now sulking.

"You really are a pervert," he accused, glaring up at the silver-haired boy.

"Only when I can get away with it." Riku straightened his own clothes then tossed the discarded boxers and shirt back into the corner. "I don't know what you're complaining about—you seemed to like it when we were in the shower."

Instantly, Sora blushed and looked away, muttering, "Asshole," under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing!"

"Nothing, Master," the older boy corrected him once more, his usual smirk making its appearance as Sora climbed to his feet and looked down at himself. This outfit was, unsurprisingly, worse than the last one. He still wore the blue collar, but now a frilly black skirt sat low on his hips, barely concealing a pair of black shorts that were even shorter than the blue ones. His chest was covered by something he didn't know the name of, but it reminded him of a tube top, though it had lace that matched the skirt on the edges and tied in the back like the corsets he'd seen women wear in pictures of the Victorian era. His shoulders and stomach were bare.

"I look like an even bigger slut than before!"

"But still a very, very sexy little slut. Now, get the hamper out of the closet so we can do the laundry."

Sora sighed in defeat and did as he was told. "Yes, Master Riku."

This was it, the last trip to the laundry room and back, and then he wouldn't have to leave Riku's dorm in that ridiculous outfit for the rest of the day. So far, they'd managed to make it to the end of the hall where the small laundry room was and back a few times without running into any other students, and Sora was extremely grateful that no one had spotted him in what Riku had decided to call his "Naughty Boy" get up. The name alone was embarrassing enough—if anyone actually managed to see and/or recognize him, he might throw himself out of a window and hope the impact was enough to kill him when he hit the sidewalk a few stories below.

Riku stood and watched him, smirking as the younger boy bent down to pull the clean clothes out of the dryer and put them in the hamper by his feet.

"Nice view," he commented, and Sora wanted to punch him, but he didn't. That would only get him in trouble, and so far he'd managed to avoid earning a "punishment." He only had about six hours to go before he would be free, so he settled for grinding his teeth together.

_When midnight hits, I'm going to be the crap out of him._

To his embarrassment, Riku had his arm around his waist when they walked back to the older boy's dorm, and then, to make matters even worse, the elevator dinged to signal that someone was about to step out onto the floor. Panicking, Sora tried to force Riku to move faster, but it was almost like the silver-haired athlete was determined for someone to see him, and he kept his same pace.

"_Sora?"_

The brunet froze, blue eyes as wide as they would go, basketful of clean laundry in his arms. _Oh, no…_

"Hey, Kairi, Namine," Riku greeted, turning and smiling at the two girls as if he didn't have his arm around Sora's waist while the brunet was dressed the way he was. "What's up?"

Panic hit Sora like a bus and he broke free of Riku's hold, bolting towards the older boy's dorm room. He dropped the laundry basket in order to open the door and kicked it in ahead of himself then slammed the door shut, locking it to prevent anyone from following him. As fast as he could, he tore off that stupid black costume and yanked on his own clothes, finding a great deal of comfort in the feel of boxers and jeans and a t-shirt, and he added a jacket over that just for extra coverage. Never before in his life had he been so happy just to have clothes, and no matter what Riku said or did when he came in, Sora was _not_ putting that damned skirt back on; he kicked the outfit under the futon with an expression that clearly said "good riddance."

A knock at the door caught his attention and he hurried to look through the peephole; it was Riku, and it looked like he was alone. Relieved that Kairi and Namine weren't going to try to come in and interrogate him about what they'd seen, Sora unlocked the door and opened it. His eyes met Riku's, and at the same time, both boys burst out laughing. It took several minutes for Riku to regain enough control over himself to sling his arm around the brunet's neck and pull him close, ruffling his hair.

"You should have seen your face," he chuckled, then imitated it, widening his eyes and letting his mouth hang open slightly in an expression of absolute horror.

Sora laughed and pushed him playfully. "It's your fault for making me wear that stupid outfit! What did Kairi say about it?"

"She was very offended on your behalf, and accused me of dressing you up as a male prostitute," the older student said, doing his best to act serious.

Sora grinned. "Did you tell her I was actually dressed as a sexy little slut?"

"No, but if I had, she definitely would have slapped me." Teal eyes dropped and Riku noticed for the first time that Sora was no longer wearing the outfit in question. "Did I tell you that you could change, Brat?"

Rolling his eyes, Sora pulled away from his friend. "No, and if you think I'm going to put that skirt back on, you're nuts. And don't even _think_ about trying to strip me like before, because I will break your nose."

Riku considered the younger boy for a moment then nodded. "I believe you, and I'll let you be as long as you keep the collar on. But you're still my slave until midnight, so don't think you can start misbehaving now. After all, I've still got a few punishments I wouldn't mind trying out."

"Ah, no, I'm fine," the brunet replied with poorly concealed panic, making Riku laugh.

Sora couldn't help but smile and pulled Riku's arm over his shoulders. "So, what's next?"

"Putting the clean clothes away, then organizing my movies and games. When midnight hits, we can do whatever you want."

"I'll probably just go back to my room," Sora replied, glancing towards his bag. "I've got homework to do before classes tomorrow."

"You mean classes on Tuesday, right?" Riku asked, steering the brunet towards the futon and pulling him down to sit side-by-side. "We don't have classes tomorrow cause it's supposed to be fall break or whatever."

"Oh! Fall break!" He'd completely forgotten since he'd been so focused on just surviving these twenty-four hours. "Well, then we should stay up all night and watch movies!"

With a fond chuckle, Riku tapped the younger boy's head. "You sure there's a brain in there?" he teased, only to be wacked with one of the small pillows that sat on the futon. He didn't have time to retaliate before Sora was up and across the room, working to put the clothes away so Riku wouldn't have an opportunity to get him back.

Still smiling, Riku watched the brunet work. Even without the skimpy outfits, he found himself admiring the younger boy and reminded himself that he'd planned on confessing during these twenty-four hours. But he didn't want to. What could he do, ask the kid out on a date? Confess that he'd liked him since that fatal soccer match? Grab him and kiss him and leave no question about how he felt? None of those things seemed right, and however he did this, he wanted it to be right. Maybe now just wasn't the right time. Besides, it'd been a long day for both of them, and it wasn't even over yet. No, he wouldn't do it today, maybe even not this week. It wouldn't be long, though. He was sure of it. Soon, he'd tell Sora the truth about how he felt, and then there would be no turning back.


	33. Chapter 33

Warm breath tickling his ear slowly brought Sora out of a deep sleep, and he opened his eyes to look directly at Riku's shoulder and part of his collarbone. The two boys had fallen asleep facing each other while talking the night before, but Sora didn't remember being quite so close to the older boy. He was curled up on his side, face mere inches from Riku's shirtless—that really was unfair—torso, and he could feel the taller boy's knees against his shins, which meant he couldn't straighten his legs out without first scooting back towards the wall. But that wasn't much of an option since Riku's arms were wrapped around his waist. Not that he minded being so close. It had been nice the first night, and it was nice now.

A small, sleepy smile making its way onto his face, he shifted himself forward until he was close enough to nuzzle into the older boy's warm body and closed his eyes. He didn't need to be up yet, and he was too comfortable to really do much moving around. Besides, Riku was sleeping between him and the ladder, so there was no purpose in staying awake. It was probably still early, anyway.

Unfortunately, he didn't have a chance to fall back asleep. His slight movements were enough to disturb Riku's sleep and the older boy started to wake up. Sora quickly shut his eyes and pretended to be asleep so he wouldn't be blamed for waking his friend, face resting against the other boy's shoulder.

Riku opened his eyes and yawned quietly, not immediately registering the warm body pressed against his own. A smile lifted the corners of his mouth and he pressed a soft kiss to the top of the brunet's head, thinking he was still asleep.

"Sora," he murmured, rubbing his younger friend's back through the wifebeater he wore. He let go of him when the brunet stirred, but didn't move away. "Morning, sleepy head."

Continuing with his pretense of having been asleep, Sora rolled onto his back and stretched as he blinked slowly and yawned. "Morning…" It was hard not to turn back onto his side and stare at the older boy, but he knew it was safer if he kept his gaze on the ceiling. Riku would definitely catch him if he started to stare while they were in such close proximity to each other, and who knew what the older boy would say then.

_Maybe call me a sexy little slut, tease me about liking him or just smirk and hold me like he did last night._

Any of those things would be okay. Sora didn't care. He was starting to get really tired of worrying about what Riku thought of him and having to act like he didn't mean it when he flirted with the older boy. For the entire twenty-four hours he'd spent being Riku's slave, he'd had a feeling in the back of his mind that he'd been too nervous to acknowledge, a feeling that the older boy might kiss him or touch him in some way that went beyond their usual flirtation. But he didn't know if he'd been imagining it or if that was really the vibe he was getting from the silver-haired sophomore, so he'd shoved it from his mind and by the time he'd finished washing dishes, he'd almost forgotten it completely. Now, though, lying next to the older athlete after having cuddled with him two nights in a row…he wanted it to be real.

Sora gathered his courage and turned to face Riku, sucking in a breath when his nose practically brushed against the older boy's, and he found himself looking directly into bright teal eyes. Suddenly, he felt like he couldn't breathe and his whole body tensed with nerves.

Should he? More importantly, could he try something like that without being so terrified of the consequences that he immediately ran out of the room and avoided Riku until further notice? What if he did and then Riku didn't want to be his friend anymore? No, he couldn't handle that. It had been bad enough when he'd ended the friendship out of anger. If Riku did it out of disgust…just the thought nearly brought tears to the brunet's eyes and he looked away before Riku could see it. That turned out to be a bad move, because he dropped his gaze and found himself staring at the older boy's muscled chest and stomach instead.

_Damn…he really _is_ hot…why does he have to go shirtless all the time?_

"Totally not fair."

"What'd you say?"

Panic widened Sora's blue eyes. Had he said that out loud?!

"U-um, nothing! Just, uh, talking to myself! Yeah…"

The older boy smirked and teasingly pulled the blankets up to cover his torso. "You know, you when you stare at me like that, it makes me think you only want me for my body."

Rolling his eyes, Sora gave Riku a playful push. "Well, duh. It's not like I hang out with you for your personality."

Riku caught his wrists before he could pull away and forced him to come closer, putting the two sophomores almost chest-to-chest. "Then we've come to the agreement that we only want each others' bodies?" he whispered seductively, smirking to see the dark blush that instantly spread over Sora's cheeks. "Because if you're offering a no-strings-attached deal, I've got some sexual tension to release."

_Did…Riku just ask me…to be friends with benefits?_

It didn't seem possible, but Sora almost said yes. He wanted to. He wanted to know what it was like to _be with_ Riku, but he was also so terrified and nervous that he had to resist the urge to shove Riku away and cower in the corner until the playful everyday Riku came back and laughed at him for taking the offer of casual sex seriously.

_That isn't what I want, anyway,_ he thought, pulling his wrists free from the older boy's grip and sitting up so he wouldn't have to see the way Riku's eyes darkened when he was being seductive, or the way he'd let the blanket fall away and bare his torso again, or how one corner of his mouth was almost constantly lifted in a smirk. _I don't want to be friends-with-benefits. That's just a way of saying he finds me attractive but doesn't like me enough to actually date me. It's insulting…how could he say something like that, even as a joke?_

Now feeling a sense of having been emotionally rejected, Sora had trouble coming up with a suitable response. "I might consider saying yes, but you're not exactly who I had in mind for my first partner, much less my first kiss."

Indignant, Riku sat up as well. "Are you saying I'm not good enough for you?" He had to hide the worry and hurt Sora's words caused—did Sora like someone else?

The pretended to think about it, biting his bottom lip in the most innocent way he could imagine.

_He's kidding, right? Riku's almost too good for me. Even if I was okay with a friends-with-benefits relationship, I'd be too afraid of disappointing him and never being enough._

Grinning cheekily as if he wasn't an inch from being reduced to a nervous wreck, Sora pushed the older boy back again and straddled him, earning a surprised look from the boy beneath him. "You'd better just accept the fact that you can't have me, Riku," he purred and winked, then swung his other leg over the silver-haired athlete so he could climb down the ladder and went to his bag to change into regular clothes.

This wasn't fun anymore, this flirting that their friendship had evolved into. This flirting just hurt, and even though Sora didn't like it, he didn't want it to stop, either. It wasn't what he wanted, but it was better than going back to being plain friends. This way, at least, he could partially express his feelings without being ridiculed for it.

From his place in the lofted bed, Riku watched his younger friend with hidden concern. It wasn't like Sora to avoid looking at him so much. Sure, he was used to noticing the brunet staring at him then holding back a laugh when Sora would turn red and quickly turn away as if he hadn't been looking at all, but this almost complete avoidance of looking at him at all bothered him. This was not okay. But it was an almost perfect opportunity to admit how he felt—maybe Sora was just kidding about not wanting Riku to be his first kiss.

Moving quietly, Riku climbed down from the loft and approached the brunet, reaching out to touch his shoulder. "Sora?"

"Hm?" The younger boy turned, his clothes in his arms, and looked up at Riku expectantly, but before either of them could say anything else, there was a knock at the door.

"Are you two awake yet?" a voice called through the door, and both boys turned to look at it. Wordlessly, Riku went to open the door while Sora slipped into the closet to dress.

"Morning, Roxas," he greeted the blond, and moved out of the way to allow the younger sophomore into the room. Behind Roxas stood Namine and Kairi, and the redheaded girl was glaring daggers at Riku as if he'd purposefully killed her fish or something. "What?"

Kairi waited until Namine had gone past into the dorm before stepping up to Riku and poking the boy in the chest. "If you did anything to hurt Sora, anything at all, you're dead," she whispered so none of the other teens could hear her.

"Why would I hurt Sora?" the silver-haired athlete asked, trying not to show how amused he was by her protective nature concerning their mutual friend.

"Why would you make him dress up like a male prostitute?" she shot back, hands on her hips.

"Actually, I was dressed as a sexy little slut," Sora said as he emerged from the closet, fully dressed in jeans and a t-shirt and with a completely serious expression. His interruption made Riku laugh, while Kairi looked absolutely stunned. She didn't say anything else as she moved past Riku into the dorm and sat on the futon with a huff, obviously unhappy with how things appeared to be going. Namine and Roxas sat beside her, both blondes red in the face from Sora's choice of words, though the brunet didn't seem to notice at all and claimed the chair placed in front of Riku's TV as the silver-haired boy took his turn in the closet to get dressed.

"So, uh," Roxas began a bit nervously, "how was Slave-for-a-Day?"

Without getting up, Sora stretched and grimaced slightly, shifting on the chair as if his backside was hurting him. "I'm a little sore from last night, but good otherwise."

Silence greeted his words as Roxas went pale and Namine hid her face in her hair as if it would turn her invisible. Once she got over the initial shock, Kairi was on her feet and gripping the front of Sora's shirt.

"Why are you sore? What did Riku do to you?" she demanded, shaking the brunet slightly.

Out of nowhere, hands gripped the redhead's wrists and pried her away from Sora, and she found herself face to face with Riku.

"What did you do to Sora?" she inquired before he could say anything, and he rolled his eyes at the accusation in her tone.

"I didn't do anything to him. Ask him yourself if you don't believe me, but if you grab him like that again, I'll kick you out of my dorm and I won't let you back in." The silver-haired boy's tone held a possessive edge that made Kairi stay quiet even though she continued to glare at him. He let go of her after a moment, and she returned to the futon, huffing again, but Riku had already forgotten her. His attention was on Sora as he straightened the younger boy's shirt.

"You okay?"

Sora nodded, glancing at Kairi apologetically as if it was his fault Riku had grabbed her. "Fine. Just sore."

The older boy grinned. "Told ya you'd feel it today."

"Okay, okay, what the hell are you talking about?" Roxas burst out, unable to control himself any longer. "What did you do to my twin?"

Shrugging, Riku ignored the vacant chair and sat on his desk since there was enough room for him to, thanks to Sora's efforts of cleaning it. "I just showed him a few of my moves. It's not like I didn't warn him that he'd be sore afterwards."

"I think you bruised me," Sora complained, rubbing his rear and making Roxas looked slightly panicked. The brunet rolled his eyes at his twin. "Quit staring at me like that, Roxas. It's not like we had sex or something."

"Not that Sora would've said no if I'd offered," Riku added, smirking, and Sora reached over to smack his arm.

"I wouldn't have said yes, either! I wouldn't even respond to a jerk like you if you asked me for sex."

"Can we please talk about something else?" Namine cut in quietly, face beet red behind her white-blonde bangs. Sitting beside her, Roxas wasted no time in agreeing with her request.

"Yeah. I really don't know if I have it in me to sit here and listen to my twin talk about having sex with one of my friends. Or the lack of sex between my twin and our friend," he added at the end to insure that neither Riku nor Sora would make some smart-ass comment.

Never before had Roxas felt so uncomfortable around the two athletes. Sure, they'd been flirting for a while, and they spent a lot of time alone together, and there had been a few moments when he wasn't entirely sure where they drew the line of their flirting or if there even was a line, but that wasn't this. That wasn't after they'd spent two nights alone in Riku's dorm while Sora was acting as the silver-haired boy's personal slave. Roxas didn't even want to think about the sort of comments that had probably been made, especially after Sora admitting that Riku had called him a "sexy little slut."

_Nope. Don't want to think about it._

But as his friends moved the conversation onto a more comfortable topic, his thoughts strayed to something else: a little piece of paper tucked into his pocket. He'd kept it close to him all weekend despite trying to convince himself to throw it away. Several times, he'd had it clenched in his fist, held above the trashcan just waiting for his fingers to uncurl and drop it. It should have been easy, but it wasn't. Why wasn't it easy?

_I don't have to text him just because he gave me his number. What would I even say to him, anyway?_

Nothing came to mind, but he couldn't stop himself from slipping his hand into his pocket to make sure the note containing Axel's phone number was still where he'd put it. Really, he didn't need the paper. He'd already added the senior into his contacts list, so there was no point in keeping the note. He just didn't want to get rid of it. It was the first note he'd received from the older student that had actually been signed by his name, even if the signature was messy and Axel had made his A look like a star, which was childish and amusing at the same time. It would be the easiest thing in the world to pull out his phone and send a short text to the redheaded senior, something as simple as, "Hey, what's up?" Whatever response he got, it couldn't be that bad, right?

XXX

It was completely silent in Axel's dorm save for the quiet sound of pages turning. Time passed but the senior hardly seemed to notice; all of his attention was devoted to the book in his hands. Finally, he closed the book and set it down, eyes half closed as he stared at his ceiling, lost in thought.

_That was fantastic. No wonder Roxas likes it so much. I'm definitely going to talk to him about it when I see him tomorrow. Maybe I'll ask to sit with him at lunch._

The idea made him smile, though he knew the chances of Roxas allowing him to sit with him at lunch were slim. He still wanted to ask, and who knew, maybe borrowing _Pride and Prejudice_ was proof that he was heading in the right direction with the blond sophomore. Asking couldn't hurt anything, and if Roxas said yes, it would be a huge leap in the right direction. Axel was more than ready to finally be on the blond's good side. Just as long as Larxene didn't find out and do something to ruin things for him yet again.

He wasn't going to let that happen, not after getting himself a month's worth of detentions with the whore, which he was only about halfway done with. At least he didn't have one today because there weren't classes. But he only had to suffer through it for two more weeks, and then he'd be done. After that, all he had to worry about were finals and then Christmas break.

Three high-pitched beeps sounded from the redhead's desk and he sat up, looking towards where he'd left his phone on Friday and hadn't touched it since. He'd been too busy reading to bother checking for messages, and besides, this was the first time it had gone off. It was the ringtone that sounded for unknown numbers, so that could only mean…

"Roxas!"

Leaping off his bed, the senior snatched his phone off the desk and almost dropped it in his hurry. Sure enough, when he opened the message it was indeed from the blond he so desperately wanted to please.

How's your fall break going? -Roxas

Axel wanted to launch into a detailed description of having spent the last three days reading _Pride and Prejudice _and talk to the sophomore about his favorite parts and why Mister Darcy was the absolute epitome of gentlemen.

_Ha, epitome. I never used words like that before, but it's true. I guess all I needed was a good book to get me to expand my vocabulary. I'll have to thank Roxas for lending it to me._

But such a long message in response to such a short question was probably a little much, so he settled for a simpler answer after adding the younger student's number to his contacts list under "Baby Blues." If Roxas knew about that it might annoy him, but Axel couldn't get the nickname out of his head. It seemed almost too perfect for the blond.

It's going pretty good. I just finished P&P and it was great, better than I was expecting. Thanks for letting me borrow it.

Did you think I'd read a bad book, much less lend one to you?

The message made Axel chuckle and he returned to lounging on his bed, phone in hand as he thought of what to say in response. As innocent as Roxas looked, the senior often forget that he actually had a bit of an attitude, which only made him even more attracted to the sophomore.

Nope. So I'll give the book back in Chemistry tomorrow, if that's okay. Would you mind if I sat with you at lunch?

Unexpected nerves twisted his stomach as he hit the Send button and he couldn't help but fidget as he waited for the next text to come into his phone. Rather than sit in silence, he began scrolling through the ringtones he had in search of the perfect song to use. This decision might take him a little while, but he was sure he would find the right one. The three beeps sounded again before he could pick one, however, and he hesitated before looking at the message.

I'll ask my friends if it's okay and let you know.

A sigh of relief escaped Axel and he fell back on the bed, letting his eyes close. Roxas hadn't said no! He hadn't exactly said yes, but he hadn't said no!

Cool. See you tomorrow.

Content with his interactions with the blond, Axel put his phone back on his desk and once more picked up the borrowed copy of _Pride and Prejudice._ Time to read through his favorite scenes again.

XXX

"You sure you don't want me to walk you back?" Demyx asked for the third time as he watched Zexion put on his coat.

"I'm sure. It's cold out and it's not that far." Quickly, the blue-haired senior leaned in and gave the blond junior a gentle kiss. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay? We'll have lunch with your friends."

Demyx nodded, smiling and blushing lightly from the kiss. "You can invite your roommate, if you want, so he doesn't have to sit by himself."

"I will."

Even though he had no intentions of informing Axel of the fact that he was now going out with the junior, Zexion agreed to avoid upsetting Demyx and picked up his bag. He was ready to leave, but he didn't want to Spending the last few days in the junior dorm hall had been great, and he knew Axel was going to drill him for information the moment he got back to his room. But it was already dark outside, and he wanted to go over his homework to make sure he'd finished it all before he went to sleep, so he pulled Demyx into a hug.

"Bye, Dem," he whispered into the blond's ear.

"Good night, Zex."

Soft lips brushed against his cheek and Zexion let go of the younger boy, waving goodbye as he left. Demyx really was too good for him, and despite himself, he hated the thought of abandoning the blond to go back to repressing his emotions like he'd been doing before. Of course, he'd keep up with his studies like always, but now he had someone other than Axel to spend his free time with, and he didn't think it was possible to be happier than he was thinking about spending time with the blond junior.

Abandoning his usual neutral expression, Zexion let himself smile all the way back to the senior dorm hall.


	34. Chapter 34

This was it. It was actually happening.

_Tap…tap…tap…_

His palms were damp he was so nervous. Ugh—he hastily wiped them on his pants to dry them

_Tap…tap…tap…_

Why was he so nervous? There was no reason to be. It wasn't like he'd agreed to go on a date with him or anything. Just talk a little, that was all. Simple. Easy. No big deal.

_Tap…tap…tap…_

Over and over and over, he tapped the eraser of his pencil on the surface of his desk. He couldn't help it. He was just so nervous—he couldn't sit still. If he wasn't tapping the pencil, he was jiggling his foot or drumming his fingers or chewing his lip or bouncing his knee. And there was still four minutes to go before class even started.

_Tap…tap…tap…_

A familiar shade of red caught his eye and Roxas' attention snapped towards the door. Just as he'd thought, Axel was walking into the classroom at that very moment. He felt his throat tighten and hunched his shoulders slightly.

_Taptaptaptaptaptaptap!_

Without meaning to, he began tapping the pencil at a much faster pace. Green eyes met his, a look of curiosity then amusement lighting the emerald depths as the senior recognized how nervous Roxas knew he looked. Every step the redhead took brought him closer to where Roxas was sitting, and the blond was sorely tempted to make a run for it. This was a bad idea. Why had he agreed to talk to the older boy?

"Hey." Axel was grinning lazily, one hand in his pocket, the other holding onto the strap of his bag so it wouldn't slide off his shoulder. Most of his weight was on his right leg, making that hip stick out slightly, and Roxas' eyes traveled the whole length of the senior's body before he finally looked him in the eye again—he'd known Axel was tall, but he hadn't realized how absolutely _lanky_ the older student was.

"Hi…" Damn it! He sounded like a junior high kid whose voice hadn't deepened with puberty yet! Pretending he had something stuck in his throat, Roxas made a guttural sound to clear the nonexistent blockage. "Hm…Hey, Axel."

The look on Axel's face clearly said he saw right through Roxas' pretense, but to his credit, he didn't mention it.

"Can I sit with you?" he asked politely.

Blue eyes slid over to look at the seat beside Roxas, which had been empty all year. What could it hurt?

"Sure, I guess."

Axel paused for a second as if the sophomore's answer surprised him before he claimed the vacant seat. They sat in silence for a few moments, then Axel reached into his bag, withdrew something, and slid it over to Roxas' half of the table.

"Here."

The blond recognized it as his copy of _Pride and Prejudice_ and stored it carefully in his own bag. "Thanks." At least the book didn't appear to have been damaged at all while in Axel's possession, so that helped him feel a little bit more optimistic about talking to the senior.

"So, uh," Axel tried to think of something to say to impress or interest Roxas as he glanced at the blond nervously, "how do you like the school?"

_Great. Way to be original, Axel. He's gonna think you're as boring as Vexen if you don't get it together. You've been waiting for this chance all year so don't fuck it up!_

"It's all right," Roxas replied quietly, fiddling with his pencil once more. "For the most part."

"What don't you like about it?"

The blond's head lowered slightly as his memories of his first detention with Larxene came to the front of his mind. "Some of the teachers seem…off…" He spoke even quieter this time, forcing Axel to lean a bit closer in order to hear him.

"You mean Miss Larxene."

Roxas nodded just barely, and Axel felt an almost overwhelming urge to comfort the younger boy in some way, by touching his shoulder or hugging him or even simply assuring him that it would be okay, that Miss Larxene wouldn't bother him forever. But he didn't because he knew that she would continue harassing the blond until Axel either gave in or Roxas did.

_At least I graduate this spring. Then I'll be free of her forever, and she'll have no reason to target Roxas if I'm not around._

"What'd she do to you?"

This time the blond shook his head in a clear statement that he didn't want to talk about it.

"Hey," Axel whispered, leaning closer so that Roxas looked at him, "I get it, you know. Really. You don't have to be embarrassed or ashamed or anything. Whatever happened, if you need to talk, I'll listen."

A grateful look came into the sophomore's eyes and he smiled slightly. "Thanks, Axel." It was a small smile, but it was genuine, and it was the first time Axel could remember that the blond had actually smiled at him. He smiled back, happiness blooming in his chest. Roxas smiled at him!

The bell rang and Professor Vexen entered the classroom; both boys turned to the front of the room so they wouldn't be scolded for talking during class. Roxas thought that would be the end of their discussion until the end of class, but then an almost-blank sheet of paper was slid towards him and he couldn't help himself.

"Thanks for lending me your book. I really enjoyed it."

Seriously? Axel wanted to pass notes in class after what happened with Miss Larxene? But it _was_ Vexen's class…and certainly no one would notice a piece of paper lying on their table. Right?

"I'm glad. It's one of my favorites."

"That doesn't surprise me at all. Who's your favorite character?"

"Hmm…the mom, I think. She's crazy and doesn't understand anything while trying to run everything, but I think that's why I love her. She just tries so hard and is so dramatic that it's endearing."

Axel couldn't help the grin that spread over his face as he read. "Really? I found her a little annoying at times, but maybe that's because she reminds me of my mom. Personally, I liked Elizabeth the most."

"How is Mrs. Bennett like your mom?"

"Eh…my mom's…well, let's just say that nothing is ever good enough for my parents," the senior hedged. It wasn't that he didn't want to tell Roxas about his parents—he didn't care if people knew about them—but it was a pretty serious, downhearted topic for their first real conversation. Something a little more lighthearted would be better.

"I see."

The note paused in the middle of the table as the two boys looked towards Vexen attentively and copied down the information written on the chalk board. When they'd finished, Axel moved the sheet of paper closer to himself and spent the next several moments coming up with something else to say.

"Why'd you decide to come to Kingdom High? It's not really a traditional boarding school. The teachers all have weird backgrounds and the Headmaster's a recluse that everyone's terrified of."

"I don't know. Sora and I wanted to try going to a school because we'd just had tutors travelling around with our parents. We applied to a lot of different schools and ended up picking at random because we could go just about anywhere we wanted. This is where we ended up."

"I'm glad you decided to come here. So, am I allowed to try to get to know you?"

Roxas had to consider that one carefully. There were a lot of ways to respond to the senior's question, and while he partially wanted to say no, he couldn't think of a way to do it without sounding like a complete asshole. On the other hand, he didn't want to say yes in a way that made Axel think he was off the hook. The redhead was going to have to work for it if he wanted Roxas' trust and friendship.

"You can try, but no promises, and don't think this makes us friends."

A tiny smile tugged at the corners of Axel's mouth when he read the sophomore's response. "I didn't expect it to. Did you ask your friends if I can sit with you at lunch?"

"They said you can." He hadn't asked. He had meant to, and he knew he should have, but he couldn't bring himself to admit to Sora and the others that he was actually talking to Axel of his own free will, especially after how much of a fuss he'd made over having to work with the senior in class. They'd have teased him about it, and he hadn't been able to force himself to tell them he was texting the redhead. Still, he couldn't let Axel know he hadn't told them, so he decided to send a mass text out after class—that way they at least wouldn't be surprised by the senior's presence. He was pretty sure no one would mind.

The note slid back towards him and he read Axel's one-word response.

"Cool."

All right. This was happening. He was freely going to interact with Axel outside of class. No big deal. He could definitely do this. Unless the senior did something to completely ruin his chances of ever being Roxas' friend, but the blond doubted even Axel could manage to do so by lunchtime.

When class finally ended and Axel and Roxas stood to leave the classroom, the senior turned to the younger boy and smiled slightly.

"You, uh, wanna walk to Calculus together?"

Roxas nodded, mostly because he couldn't come up with a reason to say no other than the fact that he didn't want to be seen hanging out with the older boy just yet. If he said that, though, he'd be just as big of a jerk as Seifer, and he definitely wasn't willing to do that. So he just nodded. It was the easiest response.

As he'd planned, he sent a text to Sora, Kairi, Namine and Riku the moment he stepped out of Vexen's classroom, informing them that Axel was joining them for lunch and that he expected them to be on their best behavior. The responses he got consisted of mild surprise and acceptance, though Namine's message said that Demyx would also be there. Roxas decided that lunch was going to be a pretty noisy affair.

XXX

Axel and Zexion walked the short distance to the mess hall together, both occupied with his own thoughts. It wasn't until they had walked through the doors that Axel spoke up.

"I'm sitting with Roxas today." The announcement made him look entirely pleased with himself and he couldn't help smiling at the thought that the blond was actually speaking to him.

The other senior glanced at him with a little bit of surprise and relief. "Congratulations."

"Where are you gonna sit?"

"With Demyx."

"You talked to him?!" Axel rounded on the other boy, making several students who were passing by on their way to lunch stop and stare. "Why didn't you tell me? It was my idea!"

To the spectator's awe, Zexion kept his entire person calm as he looked up into bright green eyes that were surprised, hurt and indignant. "Where did you think I was all weekend?"

"I didn't—you just—it was—!" the redhead sputtered, unable to form a coherent sentence that would save him from being embarrassed at not having thought of the possibility that Zexion was spending the weekend with the blond he'd been so infatuated with. He sighed, giving in. "Fine. Whatever. Tell your new boyfriend I said hi."

Even though Demyx was in fact his new boyfriend, Zexion nodded without making a sarcastic comment and split off from the redhead. The plan was to meet the junior near the kitchens where there wouldn't be many other students at this time of day. Then they would decide where they wanted to sit.

"Zexion!"

Apparently, Demyx had spotted him before he'd spotted Demyx. Just after hearing his name, the blue-haired senior caught sight of the younger student and couldn't help but smile. Demyx was waving, his books held in one arm, tie loosened slightly for the break between classes. As soon as he was within arm's reach, Zexion pulled the slightly shorter boy into a hug.

"Hey," he whispered half-seductively, smirking when he felt Demy's face grow warm against his skin.

"Hi," came the breathy response as Demyx' free arm wrapped around Zexion's waist in a half-hug. "I missed you."

"It's only been a couple hours since the last time you saw me," the older boy pointed out as they broke the hug; he immediately took the blond's hand into his own.

"I know."

They began walking towards the stairs.

"So, where are we eating?"

The look on Demyx's face turned slightly guilty. "I told some of my friends I'd be sitting with them and bringing someone along. Is that okay?"

Zexion squeezed the blond's hand reassuringly—he had actually been looking forward to meeting the younger student's friends. "It's perfect."

A smile spread over Demyx's face and he quickly placed a light kiss on Zexion's cheek. "Great. They usually sit over here." Using his grip on the older boy's hand, he led Zexion over to a nearly full table.

"Demyx!" Sora grinned and wiggled his eyebrows as the blond and blue-haired boy reached them. "Who's your friend?"

The junior blushed, glancing at Zexion with a shy smile. "This is Zexion. My boyfriend." He looked a little nervous about saying it, as if he thought there might be a negative reaction, but he needn't have worried. His announcement made everyone smile, and they introduced themselves one by one.

"You can sit by me, Dem," Namine offered, gesturing to two empty chairs to her left. Demyx nodded gratefully and set his books down as Zexion dropped his bag into the other chair. The two then left to get food, never letting go of each others' hand for a moment.

"They're adorable," Kairi sighed as she watched them walk away. Her gaze then shifted longingly over to where Sora was poking Riku in the cheek with his fork and telling him he wouldn't be any good to eat.

"Seriously, you're too skinny. All lean meat. You'd be chewy and tough."

"How do you know? You haven't tried me," the older sophomore responded, smacking Sora's hand away before the fork could make contact with his face once again.

"Is that an invitation?" said brunet teased, setting his fork down and leaning one elbow on the table; he licked his lip in a sensual fashion, eyes slowly, deliberately sliding down the silver-haired student's torso towards his lap.

Apparently not amused by the eyes that were undressing him, Riku turned and scooted his chair closer to the table, blocking Sora's view. "No. Now shut up and eat your meatloaf."

"But I don't even know what kind of meat they used to make this loaf!" Sora wailed in false despair as he looked at the meatloaf with a fearful expression as if it might come alive and try to kill him with his own spoon.

"Oh, my gosh…guys," Kairi said quietly before Riku could shove Sora's face into the inoffensive meatloaf, drawing the attention of the three other students at the table, "he wasn't joking."

"Who?" As one, Namine, Riku and Sora turned to watch Roxas lead a nervous-looking Axel towards their table. The blond appeared slightly uncomfortable as he claimed his usual seat by Sora and Axel took the last empty chair.

"Hey, guys," Roxas muttered, eyes lowered. "Axel, this is Kairi, Namine, Riku, and my twin Sora."

"Hi," the senior greeted them with a smile. "I'm Axel, though I guess you already knew that."

"It's nice to officially meet you, Axel," Kairi said, her tone cheerful but clearly a sign to the others that they had to be nice to the redhead.

"Thanks, Kairi."

Roxas grabbed onto Axel's sleeve and began dragging him away. "Come on. Let's just get our food."

Kairi sighed deeply. "Makes you feel a bit lonely, doesn't it."

"What?" Sora had completely forgotten about his meatloaf.

"Seeing all our friends starting relationships and being so happy."

Riku and Sora exchanged glances as Namine devoted her attention to her food in order to stay out what she knew Kairi was trying to do.

"Uh, Roxas isn't in a relationship," Sora reminded her.

"Not yet," Kairi replied, looking over to where the blond was standing in the food line with the redhead, "but Axel really, really likes him, so it won't be long."

"Are you sure?" Riku asked, following her gaze. "Roxas doesn't like him at all, and for good reason."

"He brought him to sit with us, didn't he?"

She had a point, and Sora studied his twin with renewed interest. "You really think they'll end up going out?"

"It wouldn't surprise me." The redheaded sophomore was noncommittal. "Demyx has Zexion, Roxas has Axel whether he's willing to admit it or not, Namine's got her secret crush, and you two flirt like there's no tomorrow. I'm starting to feel left out."

Sora completely missed the second half of what Kairi was saying as he stared at Namine. "Secret crush?"

The blonde's face was a dark red and she shot Kairi a glare for saying anything. "It's nothing."

"Who is it?" Riku asked, grinning. "It's gotta be someone special to make you blush so much."

"No one."

"Awwww, come on, Nami! Tell us!" Sora pleaded, making the biggest puppy eyes he could manage, but the blonde simply shook her head in refusal.

"She won't tell you," Kairi cut in. "I only found out by accident."

The brunet's attention shifted to the other girl. "You know who it is?"

"Yes, but I'm not telling, either."

Well, that did it. If Namine didn't want to tell and Kairi was offering her support to keep it a secret, then there was no way they were going to get it out of either girl. Disappointment made Sora huff and slump back in his chair, muttering that he never got to know any of the good secrets.

"Oh, be quiet," Riku commanded gently, ruffling the younger boy's hair. "You know you'll forget all about it by the time we finish eating."

Sora rolled his eyes but smiled and started to eat again—he missed Kairi's smirk and the way Riku glared at her so she wouldn't say anything about their flirting. Demyx and Zexion returned with full plates only a moment later and sat, eating quietly, knees touching under the table. Kairi made sure to catch Riku's eye and nod in the couple's direction, mouthing, "Get a move on," so that he glared again. Both teens pretended nothing had happened when Roxas and Axel arrived and took their seats.

"Hey, Zexion," Axel greeted his roommate as if he wasn't surprised to see the other senior there. Zexion didn't let himself roll his eyes and simply nodded his acknowledgement of the redhead.

Of course, he should have known Axel would be there if these were Demyx's friends. He knew Sora was Roxas' twin and for some reason hadn't realized that meant that he and Axel would be spending lunch together, as usual.

"So," Namine broke the unusual silence that had settled over their table, "how did you two meet?"

Demyx glanced at Zexion, clearly nervous about the question. He didn't want to say that the senior had saved him from being molested by their teacher. He'd spent too much energy hiding it, and Zexion immediately recognized how uncomfortable the blond was.

"I noticed him studying in the library. Couldn't keep my eyes off him." The senior smiled at Demyx affectionately, earning sounds of approval from both Kairi and Namine, and Demyx leaned over to kiss his cheek.

"Thank you," he whispered, softly enough that the others wouldn't hear him, and Zexion pushed against the younger boy's knee with his own in reassurance. If Demyx didn't want people to know about what really happened, then he wasn't going to tell.

It couldn't be. Axel wasn't sitting with that stupid blond brat and all his friends. Definitely not. He wouldn't _dare_ be so open about how attracted he was to the kid, not after the last two weeks of detentions.

_I thought I made it perfectly clear what would happen if he didn't forget about the brat,_ Larxene thought darkly, her meal forgotten as she sat at the same large table as the other teachers. Her eyes were locked on the spiky blond hair and even spikier red hair as the two boys sat next to each other, eating and talking and laughing.

This was unacceptable. If she hadn't managed to get through Axel's thick skull yet, then she would just have to try another method, and the next time she had a chance to get rid of Roxas for good, she'd take it without hesitation.

She wasn't about to lose Axel to that kid.


	35. Chapter 35

The shrill scream of Coach Xaldin's whistle cut through the stale air of the gymnasium, making the two dozen boys stop what they were doing and look to where the man stood at the top of the bleachers.

"That's all for today. Hit the showers."

Most of the boys sighed in relief and began heading in the direction of the locker room to shower and leave. Four stayed behind. Riku and Sora had yet to stop despite Coach Xaldin's announcement, and Roxas was waiting for his twin somewhat impatiently. Axel had decided to seize the opportunity to talk to the blond once again.

"Are they always like this?" he asked, standing beside Roxas as the two observed Riku and Sora.

"What, competitive? Yes."

"No, I mean…" the older boy trailed off as if unsure how exactly to describe what he was seeing without saying something that might offend Roxas.

"Oh, you mean mere seconds from ripping each others' clothes off and going at it? Yes."

Roxas' description of his twin and friend made Axel's face turn almost the same shade of red as the senior's hair and he cleared his throat nervously—he really hadn't expected Roxas to say something like that. "I didn't realize they were dating."

The blond shrugged, still watching his brother. "They're not."

"But they act very…intimate."

"I don't think 'intimate' is the right word. You wouldn't believe the amount of sexual tension that builds up between those two." There was a bitterness in Roxas' tone that concerned Axel.

"You sound like it bothers you."

"No," Roxas paused to watch his brother be thrown a couple feet only to spring up and launch himself back at Riku, "it just gets annoying sometimes."

"Why? I mean, they seem to like each other a lot. What's wrong with that?"

Shrugging again, the younger of the two continued to observe the intense wrestling match taking place about ten feet away. Coach Xaldin had them practicing their wrestling techniques since winter meant they were trapped inside the gym for P.E. classes and they'd already done basketball. The idea of being manhandled by another student—potentially a senior much larger than himself—had horrified Roxas. He didn't have any interest in being in such close contact with someone else, especially someone who was likely sweaty from running and wrestling and would be breathing on him and trying to bend him into all sorts of unnatural shapes in order to win a wrestling match. Just the thought made him shudder.

Luckily, they'd been put into groups of three, so he'd been with Sora and Riku. Wrestling Sora was easy because they did that sort of thing all the time just for fun. Wrestling Riku had been a little bit strange, but he was comfortable enough around the older sophomore that he didn't really mind. Those matches hadn't lasted long because Riku had much better technique and knowledge of the sport and was stronger than he was, so he'd lost fairly quickly. The matches between Riku and Sora, however, were another story entirely.

Practically drenched in sweat and panting with exertion, the boys were locked together in a struggle that was terrifyingly close to turning into clothes-ripping sex and Roxas felt like he had to stay in order for it to remain a wrestling match. If Sora and Riku were left on their own like this, who knew what would happen?

Another whistle blast finally brought the match to a halt and the wrestling students separated, standing.

"That's enough for today, you two. Keep it up and you'll hurt yourselves. Now get out of my gym." Even though he sounded impatient and annoyed, there was an undertone of fondness to Coach Xaldin's words that betrayed the fact that he actually enjoyed the two students' determination and enthusiasm

"You got it, Coach!" Sora and Riku shouted back to him at the same time then jogged towards the locker room, trash-talking and shoving each other the whole way.

"I give it a month," Axel whispered as he and Roxas followed the brunet and silver-haired sophomore.

"What?"

A grin lifted Axel's features. "They'll be dating in a month or less. Just wait."

"I'm sure you're right. We've been waiting for it for a while now."

Most of their classmates had showered and gone by the time they walked into the locker room, and Riku and Sora were in the showers. In silence, the blond and redhead went to their respective lockers then prepared for their own showers. Not until they were both enclosed by curtains and Roxas had shampoo lathered into the blond spikes of his hair did the sophomore build up his nerve.

"So, uh, you wanna hang out or come over or whatever?"

Axel was so surprised by the invitation that he didn't immediately respond. "Tonight?"

"Yeah…if you want, I mean. We could…do our Calculus homework…or something." Damn it, he sounded way more nervous than he should have! Roxas rubbed his hands over his face in an attempt to get a grip over himself. What was he even doing? Inviting Axel to come over to his dorm? They weren't even friends! Hadn't he said he wasn't going to make it easy for the senior to get to know him?

It was difficult for Axel to contain his enthusiasm. "I'd love to, but I have detention with Larxene right after this. Could I come over afterwards?"

Roxas took a deep breath to make sure his voice was steady. "Sure."

"Cool."

Yes! Roxas invited him to come over and hang out! So what if they'd be doing homework? It was still more than Axel had been expecting, especially since he'd only just managed to genuinely talk to Roxas earlier that day. Maybe he was doing a better job getting on the sophomore's good side than he'd realized.

"Okay, I'll be over in about an hour. You'll meet me in the lobby, right?" Axel asked as he straightened the shirt he'd just pulled on over his head.

It took a moment for Roxas to gather his scattered thoughts—he'd never considered the idea that Axel might be the attractive kind of lanky, though he did have a nice enough face. Seeing the older boy without all his clothes on for the first time had been a bit of a shock and Roxas was almost furious with himself for thinking the senior was good looking. How was he supposed to be indifferent if he couldn't stop thinking about his muscles?

"Yeah, I'll see you then. Don't forget your Calculus book."

Axel winked. "You got it. See you in an hour." There was a spring in his step as he left the locker room and headed towards Miss Larxene's classroom. What did he care if he had detention with the whore? It was his second-to-last week of them. Only eight to go after this one. Detention? No problem. He was invited to Roxas' dorm. Nothing Larxene did would ruin his good mood. Nothing.

The moment Axel walked into the classroom, he knew this detention was going to be different from the ones he'd had the last two weeks. It was going to be worse. Much, much worse. Still, he maintained some optimism due to his success with his favorite sophomore as he went to the front of the room and sat in his usual desk. He resisted the urge to look around—it would only encourage her to go through with whatever game she was planning. Regardless of this, he didn't have to look around to know the lights were off and that the room was lit by nothing but white and red candles. There was even music playing from somewhere. Larxene wasn't there yet, but her desk made it obvious she had something "special" planned—it was cleared of its usual pencil cup and books and instead was covered by a red cloth that looked like it might be made of silk. There was also a bottle of wine and two champagne glasses.

It occurred to Axel that he should probably leave before she got there. He definitely didn't like the looks of this, and even though he'd get in trouble for skipping detention, he'd much rather deal with that then see what all these decorations were for. Before he had a chance to move, however, the classroom door opened then closed. The lock clicked into place, and Axel could have sworn he heard the slamming of a jail door as his route to freedom was cut off.

"Axel, you're early," came the pleased purr as Larxene made her way to the front of the room.

Doing his best to ignore her, said senior stared straight ahead at the blackboard and didn't move when she ran a hand through his hair.

"Do you like what I've done with the place?" the blonde woman asked, lifting her hands and gesturing to the room. "It took longer than expected, but I think it's worth it."

Axel still didn't respond, preferring to keep his gaze on the blackboard where it was safe. Even the slightest move on his part could instigate Larxene's little game, and he wasn't about to do it accidentally. Not that he would do it on purpose, either.

"Oh, Axel," Larxene simpered, perching herself on his desk so that he had no choice but to see the long black coat she wore, "you're not still hung up on that little baby blond, are you? I thought we'd taken care of that."

"Roxas isn't a baby."

"He is compared to me." Standing again, Larxene stood before his desk and began to slowly untie the sash holding her coat shut—Axel looked away defiantly. "Face it, Axel. I own you, and the closer to get to Roxas, the worse I'll make his life at Kingdom High. He's better off if you stay away from him."

The words made him want to growl like an animal, to throw his desk, smash the bottle of wine and glasses and knock all the candles to the floor so the whole room started on fire. Then he'd lock that bitch inside and let her burn to death. It was what she deserved for threatening Roxas and making Axel miserable for the past four years. Instead, he remained frozen in his seat as Larxene's coat fell to the floor.

"Look at me, Axel."

He didn't move.

"Look at me, or I'll find excuses to give Roxas a detention every day for the rest of the school year."

Clenching his jaw, Axel lifted his gaze and stared at the woman standing before him. It was an outfit he'd seen before: high heels that went halfway up her thighs, a corset that barely managed to contain her breasts, and the shortest skirt in existence, all made from black leather. She was also wearing black leather gloves. This was the outfit she wore when she intended to wield absolute control. Axel hated everything about it and gripped the edges of his desk tightly to fight against the memories that threatened to flood his mind.

"Get up."

His movements stiff and tense, Axel did as he was told and stood, eyes locked on the floor as Larxene approached him and caressed his cheek with a gloved hand.

"Let me see those pretty emerald eyes," she whispered, lifting his chin and looking directly into his eyes. The senior held perfectly still as she leaned in and kissed him, resisting the urge to shove her away.

Larxene was smiling when she pulled away and grabbed onto Axel's tie. "You will do everything I say for the next hour. Disobedience will earn you…extra punishment. Do I make myself clear, Axel?"

The senior knew this game all too well. "Perfectly, Mistress Larxene."

Still smiling that cat-like smile, the woman patted his cheek. "Good boy." She kept her grip on his tie and led him to her desk. "Open the wine."

Axel was silent as he picked up the bottle and removed the cork, careful not to spill any. He poured an equal amount into the two cups then handed one of them to Larxene; they gently touched glasses then drank—he downed his in one gulp in an attempt to dull his senses enough to get through this.

In contrast, Larxene sipped hers as she examined the senior. When her wine was finally gone, she pulled him forward by his tie and kissed him again, sitting on the edge of her silk-covered desk and wrapping her legs around his waist to hold him against her. It wasn't a small kiss like the first one. It was demanding but patient, as if she had all the time in the world to claim him completely. Axel did his best to remain nonresponsive as his mouth was invaded.

"Axel." The word was a warning—she expected him to participate and wouldn't hesitate to make things worse for him and Roxas if he refused.

Burning up with fury on the inside, Axel put his hands on her small waist and kissed back, trying to imagine she was Roxas. It wasn't easy. Larxene tasted like wine and smelled like expensive perfume. He didn't think that was anything close to what Roxas would smell and taste like. His half-hearted kissing seemed to be enough to satisfy Larxene, at least for now, because she pulled away after a moment.

"On your knees, my pet."

Now Axel knew exactly what Larxene had planned, and he didn't like it one bit. Still, he did as he was told, and Larxene smiled.

"Good boy," she cooed.

XXX

He was late. Roxas had been waiting in the lobby of the freshman dorm hall for nearly fifteen minutes. It had been an hour and twenty minutes since he'd agreed to meet Axel an hour after P.E. The senior was late and Roxas couldn't decide if he should text him or not to see if he was still coming. He figured Axel would let him know if he changed his mind or if something came up, so there he was, waiting.

Another five minutes passed and the blond was spacing off when he heard the door open, though he didn't register the fact right away.

"Hey, Roxas…"

Startled out of his reverie, Roxas looked up at Axel. "Hi." He paused. "You look awful. What happened?"

"Nothin'."

Roxas knew the older boy was lying, but he didn't want to make Axel talk about something if the senior didn't want to talk about it, so he let it go. "Come on. You can take a nap in my room before we do our Calculus."

He led the way up to his dorm as Axel silently followed behind, feet dragging as if he barely had the energy to lift them off the ground. It unnerved Roxas a great deal to see the usually cheerful redhead so listless. He knew Larxene was nuts and dreaded the prospect of ever having another detention with her, so he figured Axel was probably dealing with whatever had happened during his detention, but he had no guess as to what that might be. The senior didn't appear to be injured in anyway. Just drained. Sort of…defeated.

_Because of me. He got in trouble for standing up for me. That's why he's like this. It's my fault._

Crap. How was he supposed to give Axel a hard time if he thought of _that?_ Axel had willingly subjected himself to a month's worth of detentions with their math teacher just for him, and it took Roxas two weeks to even talk to the senior.

_I'm a jerk,_ he realized, surprised by the concept. _Axel messed up, but at least he tried to fix it. I haven't done anything to deserve his efforts._

Now that he'd admitted it to himself, Roxas was almost disgusted with the way he'd been behaving. It was very immature of him to give Axel a hard time the way he'd intended.

_Maybe I should just be his friend. There's no harm in that._

XXX

"Headmaster, there's a package here for you."

Xemnas looked up from the forms he was reviewing to see his Vice Principal standing in the doorway. "Bring it here, Saix."

Obedient, the scarred man took the box he was carrying over to the Headmaster's desk and set it before him. "There's no markings other than that it's for you."

"Hm." With a mildly curious expression, Xemnas opened the package to see a blank CD case holding a disc, and a folded slip of paper. He ignored the disc for now and unfolded the paper to read one sentence.

I hope this payment is sufficient.

Wordlessly, Saix took the disc out of the case and put it in the slot on Xemnas' laptop. The device automatically pulled up a program to play whatever was on the disc, and a video started. It was a classroom, though the lighting was dim and there was music playing that didn't belong in a classroom. The picture was centered on the teacher's desk at an angle as if the camera was positioned above the desk and aimed down at it. Only a moment later, two people entered the screen. One was Axel, the senior who Xemnas and Saix knew was a favorite of Miss Larxene. The other was Larxene herself, and she was wearing something that definitely didn't belong in a classroom.

"Interesting," Saix murmured after the video had been playing for a few minutes. Both he and Xemnas continued to watch as the teacher and student kissed multiple times as Axel kneeled before the desk and Larxene perched on the edge. Before long, the woman was lying back on the desk with a hand tangled in the student's hair, giving him orders. To Xemnas' amusement, the boy followed each one without complaint.

This went on for just over an hour, growing progressively more and more sexual until Axel was the one lying on the desk with Larxene on top of him. When the video finally ended, Xemnas sat back in his chair, fingers steepled as his elbows sat on the armrests.

"Very interesting," he commented, then looked at the note again. "Miss Larxene seems to be under the impression that taping herself…_interacting_ with young Axel will persuade me to allow it to continue."

Saix grinned slightly. "Does it not, Headmaster?"

The white-haired man chuckled and stood, leaning against his desk. "Perhaps. Now, I have a job for you, Vice Principal Saix."

"And what might that be, Headmaster?"

"Get on your knees."


	36. Chapter 36

Silence.

Elbows touching, Zexion and Demyx sat on the blue-haired senior's bed, open text books forgotten by their feet. They were looking across the dorm to where Axel was resting on his own bed. What was unusual about it was the fact that he wasn't lounging. The lanky redhead was curled up in the corner of headboard and the wall, notes in hand as he studied for the upcoming exams. The semester would end in a week and then they would have three weeks of Winter Break. Zexion planned on flying home. Axel was staying on campus.

"Axel."

The senior ignored his friend, not for the first time, and Zexion decided he'd had just about enough of the taller boy's childish behavior.

"I'll pour ice water on you in your sleep tonight if you keep ignoring me," he threatened seriously, knowing Axel hated the cold more than anything, especially of the wet variety. Axel didn't even look up.

"No, you won't."

"You think I'm bluffing?"

"Yep."

Zexion adopted a light tone, as if he was commenting on the weather. "Then it's going to suck serious ass when you wake up with ice cubes shoved down your boxers."

That comment forced Demyx to smother a laugh, his hand pressed over his mouth to prevent sound from escaping. He knew Zexion was being serious and that now wasn't the time to laugh, but it was hard to contain himself—sometimes his boyfriend was funnier than he was trying to be.

Rolling his eyes, Axel put down his book and scowled at his roommate. "What d'you want?"

"I want you to tell me why you've been moping around all week."

"I'm not moping."

The eyebrow not hidden by blue bangs rose in an expression that could only be called an "oh, really," look. "You're curled up in that corner like a mouse trying to hide from a cat."

"If I was a mouse, I'd just go back into my mouse hole," the redhead countered, eyes focused on his notes once more.

"Fine. Then you're acting like a servant that's constantly terrified he's going to be called to his master's room and be beaten for some small mistake and you can't run away because your master is holding your family hostage."

That analogy was so accurate it almost made Axel wince, but he resisted. H knew he'd been acting the way Zexion described, if Larxene was the master and the family being held hostage was Roxas. Still, he didn't tell the other senior how right he was. It had been four days since he'd walked into Larxene's classroom for that detention, and he hadn't told anyone what happened, not even the blue-haired senior he considered to be his best friend.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Obviously, but if you think I'm going to let this go after the way you pestered me about Demyx, your IQ is even lower than I thought."

"What?" Demyx interjected, looking at his boyfriend curiously. "He pestered you about me?"

A light blush colored Zexion's cheeks as he realized what he'd just admitted. "Axel's the reason I got up my nerve to introduce myself to you. He wouldn't leave me alone about it."

The blond junior smiled shyly and nuzzled Zexion's cheek happily before turning his gaze on Axel. "Thanks."

It was all Axel could do not to roll his eyes—the two of them were astoundingly cutesy whenever they were together, something he would never, in a million years, have thought would happen to Zexion. It really made him a bit jealous. "Don't mention it."

"Spill," Zexion commanded, eyes narrowed dangerously, and all three of them knew for a fact that if Axel insisted on being stubborn, he was definitely going to wake up by being doused with ice water.

With a growl, the redhead tossed his notes onto the floor and glared back at his roommate. "I'm not talking about it with your precious little boyfriend in here."

That made Demyx lower his eyes, Axel's words stinging at him. "I can go," he mumbled, but Zexion grabbed onto his hand before he had a chance to get up.

"Quit making excuses, Axel. If it's about Larxene, then you know damn well that Demyx is one of the best people to talk to. If it's not, then I doubt it's serious enough to make him leave." The two seniors locked eyes and stared at each other, neither willing to back down as Demyx waited, uncomfortable with the way things seemed to be going. After several minutes, Axel sighed and looked away in defeat.

"Fine. It's Larxene."

Satisfied with his victory, Zexion settled against the wall again and pulled Demyx close to cuddle him, earning a pleased humming sound from the younger student. "Go on."

"She forced me to have sex with her during my detention last Tuesday."

A thick, heavy silence followed the redhead's words. Demyx had stopped humming and was so tense he was trembling; gentle fingers combed through his hair until he relaxed.

"It's been a while," was all Zexion had to say in response to the announcement, voice calm and quiet.

"Yeah."

"What happened?"

Axel shrugged, gaze locked on his hands as he fidgeted. "The room was decorated and she showed up in this long black coat. She was wearing that stupid slutty leather outfit underneath. We had some wine and…yeah."

"How did she make you?" Demyx asked softly, almost afraid that Axel would snap at him for speaking up.

Emeralds met jade and the three boys sat in silence for a few moments.

"She threatened someone really important to me."

"Oh."

It was quiet again, then Demyx surprised the two seniors by pulling away from Zexion, crossing the room, and sitting on Axel's bed. Without a word, he slipped his arms around the taller boy and hugged him. Axel tensed at first, unused to such an affectionate gesture, especially from Demyx, but he relaxed after a few moments and hesitantly hugged the blond back, letting his forehead rest on Demyx's shoulder.

"It'll be okay," the junior whispered.

Just like that, Axel broke. Tears he'd been holding back for what felt like a lifetime overflowed and he shook as Demyx held onto him comfortingly. In all the time that Larxene had been bothering him, from the moment she made the first unwelcome advancement during his first weeks as a student at Kingdom High, Axel had never once cried. Not once, not even when he'd finally felt he could trust Zexion enough to tell him what was going on.

All it took for him to finally let out how messed up this whole thing made him feel was a hug from a kid he hardly knew.

"I hate it," he choked out, struggling to keep his voice from cracking. "I fucking hate it."

Demyx tightened his hold on the older boy. "I know."

"Y-you're really lucky, you kn-know." Axel hated the way he sounded—blubbering like a kid whose pet hamster died—but there was nothing he could do about it. "You h-had someone help you before it g-got too bad."

The smallest of smiles flitted over Demyx's expression as he thought about the first time he'd encountered Zexion. "Yeah, I am lucky. But you're not alone, either, Axel. I know it feels like it. It feels like you're the only person on the whole planet sometimes. But you have Zexion and you have me, and you have whoever it is that Larxene is trying to use against you. I bet if they knew what was going on, they'd stand up for you, just like you're protecting them."

Axel managed a weak laugh through his tears as a gentle hand rubbed at his back. "I h-hope so." He lifted his head and rested his cheek on Demyx's shoulder, looking across the room to where Zexion was still sitting on his own bed. The two seniors locked gazes for a few moments, silently agreeing to come up with a plan to get Axel and Roxas out of this whole twisted situation, hopefully without the blond knowing.

If they did this right, then Larxene wasn't going to toy with Axel or his friends ever again after they got through with her.

XXX

"Roxas?"

"Yeah?"

Sora shifted uncomfortably, blue eyes locked on his shoes and hands shoved deep into his pockets. "Will you…uh…help me study for my exams?"

The blond twin looked at his brother in surprise. "What? Really?"

"Yeah."

"Why? I mean, I'm glad and of course I'll help you, but you've never _really_ cared about exams before. What's so special about these ones?" He had to ask. Sora looked way too nervous for it to be something as simple as wanting to get good grades.

"Um, well, you know how Riku and I did the Slave-for-a-Day bet?"

"Yeah, and then the next day you made me think you had sex with him. Why?"

Face red due to Roxas' comment, Sora moved his gaze to the ceiling. "'Cause we made the same bet for these finals and I really wanna win this time."

Roxas sighed. "You really want to risk spending another day in those stupid outfits?"

"No," a grin worked its way onto Sora's face, "I'm just willing to take the chance if it means I can get my revenge on him for being such a pervert."

At that, Roxas was sporting a grin of his own. "Give him a taste of his own medicine?"

"Of course. Also, I, uh, thought maybe it would be a good opportunity to tell him I like him." The last bit was mumbled and Sora's face was turning a deep shade of red out of embarrassment.

"Finally."

Sora gaped at his brother. "What do you mean, 'finally'?"

"Oh, come on, Sora. You can't deny that you've liked him from the moment he caught you in the locker room on our first day."

"I have not liked him for that long!" the brunet protested, devastated that his feelings were that obvious to others. Granted, Roxas had always been able to tell how Sora felt without much by way of hints.

Rolling his eyes, Roxas got up and hugged his twin. "Have, too. Otherwise, you wouldn't have gotten so upset that he thought he was better than you and then worked so hard to prove him wrong. You're competitive, but you're not _that_ competitive. Riku's gotten more and more of your time and attention ever since." He decided not to mention that he was maybe just a little bit jealous that someone else had become the center of Sora's world. "If Riku's too dense to figure out that you like him, then that's his mistake."

His arms locked around the blond's waist, Sora snuggled against his brother in an attempt to be comforted; it worked, as it always did. "So, you think I should tell him?"

"If you're ready, then yes."

Sora thought he was ready. He was scared, sure, and worried that Riku would reject him, but he still had hope that, just maybe, the older sophomore liked him back. It was that hope that wanted him to do it, and to be honest he was tired of not knowing. He wanted to either date Riku or stop flirting with him entirely. No more of this half-baked crap.

"Yeah, I'm ready."

Roxas hugged the other boy tighter for a moment before releasing him. "Then we'd better make sure you win this bet. Come on, time to study."

Even though the thought of studying made Sora want to shudder, he allowed his twin to pull him over to his bed and sat by the blond, diligently going over the notes he'd compiled since the last set of exams. He was going to get better grades than Riku if he had to stop sleeping in order to study enough.

XXX

It was time to test her theory. Well, Namine's theory, but Kairi was going to test it because she had to know if Luxord really meant what he'd said about rejecting her. So there she was, standing outside the door to his personal quarters in Faculty Housing, biting her lip nervously. Her makeup was flawless, her hair was perfect, and she'd dressed modestly but still in a way that would invite him. She also had her school bag and her study materials for his class an excuse to come see him. This was her chance to find out if she had a chance at him or not.

Taking a deep breath, Kairi lifted one fisted hand and knocked on the door. Footsteps sounded on the other side, and the door opened to reveal a Luxord wearing jeans and an un-tucked button-up shirt. Kairi stared because she'd never seen him out of his usual work clothes of dress pants, neatly tucked shirt and tie. He looked…nice like this, friendlier than he usually looked. He didn't look pleased to see her, however, and Kairi felt her heart sink a little.

"Did you need something, Kairi?" the blond man asked, looking down at her with a neutral expression.

"I…um…"

Luxord sighed at her hesitation, leaning on the doorframe with an expression that clearly said, "get on with it."

Losing her nerve, Kairi lowered her gaze. "Never mind. I can figure it out on my own," she mumbled, and turned to go. She could feel his eyes on her back as she walked away, and fought the urge to either run or burst into tears; he didn't like her. He really had meant what he said about rejecting her.

"Wait."

Her feet stopped moving even though she told herself to keep walking, to not turn around and look at those stupid ice blue eyes. She did it anyway. "Yes?"

The teacher had stepped out into the hallway and was rubbing the back of his head in a nervous fashion. "You can come inside—I'll help you with your homework."

Kairi allowed a small smile. "Okay." Trying to act as relaxed as she could, she went back to the still-open doorway and slipped inside Luxord's apartment, looking around discreetly as he pulled the door shut behind them. It was surprisingly clean, for a bachelor's apartment, but then, Luxord had always been neat and orderly. That was one of the reasons Kairi liked him. He was sophisticated, if a little arrogant. She liked that, too.

Before she had a chance to really look around the small living room, Luxord put a hand on the middle of her back and steered her into the kitchen, which was a little plain but also very well kept. It actually looked like he'd just finished cleaning a few moments before she'd knocked.

"You, uh, want anything to drink?" he asked as she sat at the table, and Kairi smiled up at him.

"Just a glass of water, thanks."

"Mm." Luxord put a few ice cubes in a cup then filled it with water before grabbing a can of soda for himself and joining Kairi at the table. She sipped her water as he opened his soda and took a long drink, blue eyes never leaving the teacher sitting only a foot away.

"So, what do you need help with?" he asked after a few moments had passed and the silence had become nearly suffocating.

With a smile, Kairi took her things out of her bag and set them out neatly on the table. "I was hoping you would look over the rough draft of my essay, and I have a few questions about the project."

"All right, can I see your rough draft?"

Nodding, the redhead opened one of her notebooks and handed it to the teacher then began flipping through the contents of a folder in search of the syllabus for the project they were supposed to be doing; they had to put together a presentation over an important historical figure, complete with recorded narration, and the program they were supposed to be using was giving her trouble, so she hoped Luxord would be able to help her fix it.

"Kairi." Luxord's tone sounded strained and she had to fight a smile.

"Yes, Professor?"

"This isn't your essay."

Cue innocent frown. "It's not?" Kairi took the notebook out of Luxord's hands and scanned the page it was open to as if she didn't know perfectly well what it was; her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open slightly. "Oh! I'm so sorry!" Blushing and mumbling apologies, she shoved the notebook back into her bag then retrieved the right one and gave it to the teacher, who was staring at her as if he couldn't quite believe what he'd just read. His gaze made her want to squirm with triumph, but she didn't. That would ruin everything.

Tossing out another apologetic smile, she went back to searching for the syllabus as Luxord read through her rough draft. Once she found it, she set it off to the side and took her laptop out, opening it and logging in, humming softly to herself. Just as she was opening the program for the presentation, Luxord set down the notebook.

"Your rough draft is very good—it just needs a few tweaks here and there, and I'm sure you'll manage to find those and fix them before the essay is due," the blond commented, not looking at the student sitting beside him.

"Oh, great! I'm glad. I was worried it was terrible." She smiled at him even though he was still avoiding looking at her. "Now, the other thing I need your help with is this program. I don't think it's compatible with my laptop, because no matter how many times I install it, uninstall it, and reinstall it, it won't let me do very much and I really don't want to get a bad grade on this project—"

"Kairi," the teacher interrupted quietly, eyes still locked on the tabletop.

"Yes, Professor?"

God damn it, why did she have to call him "Professor" in that innocent tone after what he'd just read? "Why did you write that?"

Kairi lowered her eyelids in a shy expression. "No reason…"

His Bull Shit Senses tingling, Luxord turned in his chair to face her with a stern expression. "Kairi, you can't write things like that, especially involving a teacher. If it fell into the wrong hands, there could be serious consequences. You could be expelled, I could lose my job or even go to jail. Promise me you'll destroy that, and you won't write another one."

"I promise, Professor."

"Good. Now, tell me what's wrong with the program."

Smiling again, Kairi explained the problem she was having, though her thoughts were about as far from her history project as they could get. No matter what promises she'd made to Luxord, she had no intentions of getting rid of what she'd tricked him into reading, and she would definitely be writing more. She even planned on sending her future writings to him by any available means. His reaction had been all she'd needed—he wasn't as disinterested in her as he'd told Marluxia.


	37. Chapter 37

Humming, Kairi gently pulled strands of white-blonde hair into her grip and tucked them into a neat braid. It was just a little braid that would hang to the left of Namine's face, but it would help keep her hair out of her face while she was playing her flute. Meanwhile, Namine was making sure there were no chips or rough edges on her nails, filing them down so they were all the same length. Kairi's nails were already perfect and had been painted to match the green of her school uniform. When she finished with the braid, she left Namine to get dressed and went to the mirror to put on her makeup. The list of guidelines sitting on her desk claimed that no gaudy or brightly colored eye shadow was allowed, and only the minimum amount of blush was acceptable. Eyeliner was also restricted to avoid anyone having "raccoon eyes."

Kairi thought the rules were silly—no one at Kingdom High wore makeup like the guidelines listed as unacceptable—but she read them carefully nonetheless. It would be embarrassing to get in trouble for her makeup when they'd been preparing for this all semester. Only simple jewelry was allowed, and they were required to wear their formal uniforms to avoid anyone wearing too low cut of a shirt or too short of a skirt.

"Ready, Mi-Mi?" she asked, slipping on her shoes. The formal uniform consisted of a charcoal gray skirt that stopped below the knee, a white long-sleeve button up shirt, a button vest that matched the skirt, and a black jacket. The stitching in the jacket was the school's chosen shade of green, as were the tie and stockings. Their dress shoes were black.

Dressed identically to her cousin, Namine picked up her school bag and nodded. "Ready."

Together, they left their dorm and made their way towards the school, thick winter coats zipped all the way up to their chins and gloved hands buried in their pockets. The sun had already set, which meant it was even colder than the last time they'd ventured outside. Not that they were surprised. It was December, after all, and the campus had donned its winter cloak of sparkling white snow. Footprints wandered across the grounds from building to building because the sidewalks had yet to be cleared from the most recent snowfall. By the time they made it into the building, both girls were shivering and their teeth chattered uncontrollably.

"I w-wish the s-s-school was farther s-south," Namine managed to force out, and Kairi nodded her agreement.

It wasn't Kingdom High was particularly far north, it was just in a location near enough to the ocean in a place where cold currents and winds brought in an unusual amount of snow for the region. The water was cold even in the height of summer, which could be a great relief from the heat to the year-round residents. For the students, however, the summer weather made little difference considering very few of them would remain on campus between the spring and fall semesters.

Shrugging out of their coats, the two girls made their way into the Fine Arts side of the building and went straight to the music room. The hallways were filled with other students milling about, most of whom were dressed in their own casual clothing—only performers were required to wear their uniforms since the concert was optional. Most of their classmates were already in the music room when they arrived and were talking quietly amongst themselves as they waited.

"Choir first!" Mister Marluxia's voice called over the chatter only a few minutes later, and the students began to separate as the choir students gathered around their instructor and the band students hung back to stay out of the way. His usual warm smile in place, Marluxia waited for the students to settle down. "Warm ups!"

Kairi, in her place among her fellow choir students, participated in their usual warm up tunes, smiling all the while. This was one of her favorite parts of the first semester: the Winter Concert. First, the choir students would make their way to the auditorium and line up on the stage as the rest of the school watched from the rows of seats. There would be a short break once they'd finished all their songs, and then the band students would take over the stage for the remainder of the show. Afterwards, there would be food available for the spectators, and the back of the auditorium had tables and racks set up to display the art students' projects for the rest of the school to see. It was the culmination of all their hard work over the past few months and was the mark of the beginning of finals week, which meant Winter Break was only a few days away.

With obvious pride, Marluxia lined the choir students up before leading them out of the room. "Remember, stay quiet! We want this to be a good show!"

"See you in a bit!" Ariel whispered to Namine, wiggling her fingers at the blonde as she and Kairi left the room.

Giggling, Namine waved back before looking around at the remaining students; it didn't take her long to find who she was looking for. With her usual quiet tendencies, she moved to stand by the boy's side. "Hey, Demyx."

The blond junior jumped slightly then blushed. "Hi."

"Are you excited?" she asked, smiling gently, and the older student nodded.

"Yeah, mostly to finally be done with these songs and start on something new after break."

Namine knew exactly what he meant. Since they only had one performance a semester, they practiced the same songs for half the year, and that got boring pretty quickly. Mister Marluxia did his best to keep his students interested in the music by occasionally having a day when they got to pick whatever music they wanted, or even letting them try to trade instruments for a class, but even those things started to get dull after four months of the same ten songs. It was especially bad during the last month before the concert when Marluxia fussed over every single little detail.

"I hope he picks something with a faster tempo for the spring semester," she replied. "The slow songs are too easy."

"They really are." Demyx shrugged, turning thoughtful. "Maybe I'll talk to Mister Marluxia about it. I'd like a challenge before summer."

The younger student didn't look so sure. "Is that a good idea? To see him alone, I mean?" the flutist asked quietly.

"Oh, I won't be alone. Zexion would demand to go with me." A fond smile lifted the corners of the junior's mouth upon mentioning the blue-haired senior. "Besides, Marluxia apologized to me back in October and things have been fine since."

"Good." Namine smiled, relieved to hear that things between her friend and their teacher seemed to have returned to a healthy student-teacher relationship. "Things are going well with Zexion?"

"Yeah! He's great. He's really protective and doesn't trust Mister Marluxia at all, but I understand that. I've never been happier," he confided, blushing again.

Namine giggled at how cute the older student was being—no wonder Kairi couldn't get enough of her matchmaker game, if this was the potential happiness she saw in the people she was trying to get together. "Is he here?"

Nodding, Demyx adjusted his tie. "He promised to sit in the front row."

"Aw, that's cute."

The junior's blush darkened and he looked down at his shoes, embarrassed. He was glad that Zexion had decided to come to the concert, especially since the senior had confessed that he'd never attended any of the school's concerts or shows. This would be his first one, and he was doing it for Demyx. In his head, he didn't think he was special enough for Zexion to do something he'd never cared for before, but he hadn't dared to voice that opinion. It wouldn't have been the first time Zexion scolded him for thinking down on himself.

X

Fidgeting with the paper program he'd been given, Sora tried not to squirm around in his seat. To his left was Roxas, then Axel and then Zexion beside the redhead. To his right was Riku. They were sitting in the middle of the front row—Roxas had actually counted the seats so he could sit in the exact center—and the lights had dimmed to signal that the performance was about to begin. He wished they would turn the lights back on.

_This isn't happening. This is so not happening. There's no way._

He couldn't believe what was happening to him. It terrified him, but he didn't know what to do about it, so he just sat there frozen and tried not to betray how much he was panicking in his head. Wide blue eyes darted down and to the right then quickly looked away. He just _knew_ that Riku was smirking and tried desperately to calm himself down.

_Be cool, Sora. Relax. Deep breaths. He's just trying to freak you out._

Well, it was working, and Sora knew it, and Riku probably knew it, too, because Sora was trembling and there was no way that the older sophomore couldn't feel it. The moment the lights had dimmed, Riku had placed a hand on Sora's knee and had since proceeded to torment the brunet. It took everything Sora had not to let out a squeak when the hand slid higher up on his thigh and squeezed playfully. Finally, he managed to get his head straight and smacked the older boy's hand lightly so as not to draw the attention of everyone else.

Mischievous teal eyes turned to him and he glared back at his friend, deliberately grabbing the older boy's wrist and moving his hand away. Then he turned his attention back to the stage; less than ten seconds later, the hand returned, only this time it was alarmingly higher and had slipped between his legs to rub at his inner thigh. To his immense embarrassment, Sora felt a warm sense of pleasure slide up his spine at the touch and had to muffle a groan.

"Getting excited?" Warm breath tickled the brunet's ear as Riku leaned in close enough to whisper and squeezed the sensitive area he had in his grip. It was all Sora could do not to whimper and slide down in his seat a little as he shuddered.

"S-stop it…"

Another gentle squeeze. "Why?"

Trembling, Sora gripped the older boy's arm and roughly shoved Riku's hand back to where it belonged. "Because I don't want to be sexually assaulted right before my friends' concert," he hissed angrily, and Riku smirked.

"What about after the concert?"

"Not then, either. And don't ask about any other time because the answer will always be no."

Riku laughed quietly. "Aw, you're no fun, Brat."

The nerve of him! How dare he accuse Sora of not being fun, just because he wasn't willing to let the older boy grope him! Growling, Sora smacked the silver-haired athlete's shoulder then huffed and slouched in his seat, glaring up at the stage as the choir students appeared and took their places. To his relief, Riku behaved himself while they listened to Kairi and the others sing, and after the first few songs, Sora managed to relax again, though his thoughts continued to swirl restlessly.

_He's getting really handsy lately, and flirtier than usual. He's been flirty for a long time, I guess, but lately…I feel like I have to be careful or he'll trick me into agreeing to something I don't want to do. And he won't stop touching me!_

Admittedly, he didn't always mind the touching. When it was something simple like an arm around his shoulders or waist or a hand on his back, that wasn't a big deal. But rubbing his thigh, especially while they were sitting with their friends to watch their other friends perform in the school's winter concert? Not okay. Definitely not okay.

_And he _knows_ that it bothers me, even if I pretend it doesn't. Bastard._

He glanced at the older boy, half expecting to see teal eyes looking back at him, but Riku was focused on the choir students and didn't even seem to notice the attention being directed at him. Silent, the brunet faced forward again and settled more comfortably in his chair. If Riku wanted to cause trouble, then he would just be on his best behavior.

It was too easy.

Smirking, Riku kept his eyes on Kairi as Sora huffed and shifted in the chair next to him and resisted the temptation to continue toying with him. The brunet really did make it too easy for him, getting all flustered at the simplest of touches. Riku hadn't even _done_ anything to him, and the younger boy had been all but helpless. Watching him try not to make a sound had only encouraged Riku to see how far he could push before the younger boy became angry, and he couldn't believe he'd actually gotten Sora to _whimper._ As if that wasn't the most adorable fucking thing in the world.

All he wanted to do was get the brunet to make that sound again, but he knew Kairi would see if he tried anything while she was on stage, and Sora would definitely complain to her about it. No, it was better to maintain his distance and act innocent, at least for now. He'd have plenty of chances over Winter Break.

He looked at Sora out of the corner of his eye to see the younger student slouched in his chair, pouting slightly, and grinned. It really was too easy.

The lights came on again as the choir students filed off the stage and Sora sat up in his chair, stretching, then purposefully turned his back on Riku to face his twin. "I really liked that middle song, um," he glanced at his program, "'Nessun dorma.'"

Roxas nodded. "Yeah, that one was really good. I'm impressed that they did something from an opera."

"It was from _Turandot,_ right?" Axel interjected, and Roxas looked at him in surprise.

"Have you seen it?"

The redhead shrugged. "My mom took me to a version of it when I was little. I didn't want to go, but I liked it more than I thought I would."

Blue eyes lit up with interest and Roxas turned to face Axel more fully. "Where did you see it?"

Sighing, Sora slumped in his chair only to have Riku's arm snake around his shoulders. "What?" he huffed, not looking at the older boy.

"Relax, Brat. This is supposed to be fun."

Irritated, Sora decided that sarcasm was the best method for dealing with his flirtatious friend. "I am having fun. Especially when you were trying to grope me. That was a blast."

"Well, you know…"

Shit. He was doing that damn purring thing.

"I can keep doing it, if you really enjoy it that much," the older boy offered, and Sora rolled his eyes.

"No, thanks. I don't really think it's appropriate for my friend to touch me that way in such a public setting."

Riku grinned. "Another time, then." There was no response from Sora, and he sighed quietly. "All right, I'll stop, okay? Now quit sulking. You're killing my good mood."

They stared at each other for a few moments as Sora judged how serious the older boy was being; he nodded and sat up straighter. "Fine, as long as you keep your hands to yourself."

Making a pained face, the silver-haired athlete drummed his fingers on Sora's shoulder, his arms still draped around the boy. "It might kill me, but I'll try."

"Oh, you'll be fine. Don't be so dramatic," Sora admonished him. He decided he there was no danger in letting Riku's arm stay where it was, as long as the older boy didn't try anything funny. But he'd said he would stop, so Sora wasn't worried about it.

The older boy grinned again and settled back in his chair. "How are your studies coming?"

"Well enough that I'm gonna kick your ass in this bet!"

A laugh escaped him. "Dream on, Brat. You've never beaten me in anything before and I doubt that's about to change."

"I beat you in soccer!"

"That was a team victory, not you versus me, one-on-one. It doesn't count."

Sulking again, Sora folded his arms across his chest and glared at the floor. "You're just saying that 'cause you don't wanna admit that I beat you."

"And you're only pouting because you know I'm right," Riku countered, one silver eyebrow lifted. "Don't even tell me that you're sulking," he added when Sora opened his mouth to argue, and the brunet closed his mouth again, bottom lip sticking out even farther than before. Riku poked his lip. "Yeah, you're definitely pouting."

Sora smacked his hand away, only to be pulled into a headlock and have his hair ruffled by the older boy. His protests drew the attention of the other three students they were with, and by the time Riku decided to let him go, Roxas, Axel and Zexion were staring at them in amusement. Immediately, Sora's face turned red and he just knew what they were thinking.

"Do we need to leave you two alone?" Axel asked, his face perfectly straight. Roxas rolled his eyes.

"As if. They can get a room if they're going to flirt that much."

"We weren't flirting!" Sora protested, even though he knew otherwise. He just didn't like to admit it, especially when Roxas was giving him that look. Roxas and Axel shared a look.

"Yes, you were," they said at the same time, then laughed. With a satisfied grin, Axel leaned back in his chair and tucked his hands behind his head; out of the corner of his eye, he saw Zexion looking at him and winked at the other senior. So far, things were going perfectly.


	38. Chapter 38

The lights dimmed again and silence fell over the auditorium. All eyes were on the band students as they appeared on the stage and took their places on the chairs that had been brought out for them.

Not having said more than five words since he'd arrived with Axel in tow—the redhead really was too eager to spend time around Roxas—Zexion's eyes found and tracked the movements of one student in particular. Unsurprisingly, Demyx looked fantastic in his formal uniform and Zexion found himself admiring the way the vest showed off his shape.

_I didn't think it was possible for him to be _sexy. _He's usually being too cute, but in that uniform…_

A gentle nudge to his arm broke his train of thought and he turned to find Axel looking at him.

"What?" He kept his voice down despite being mildly irritated.

"You're smirking, and you muttered," Axel whispered, looking both amused and curious.

Oops. He hadn't realized he'd said something out loud and had no idea what that something might be. Thought it had almost definitely been about how Demyx looked in his uniform. And Zexion definitely didn't want Axel privy to those thoughts—he was glad it was so dark when he felt his face warm slightly.

"It was nothing."

Axel grinned, white teeth visible even in the dark. "If you say so."

His tone made Zexion want to strangle him. Not in the frenzied, tackle-to-the-ground-and-choke-the-life-out-of-him way. If he was going to murder someone, it would be slow and deliberate. But Axel wasn't worth the effort Zexion would put into his death, and besides, there was a chance that he would miss the redhead's company. Maybe. Regardless, he had more important things to focus on at the moment. Mister Marluxia—_bastard_—had stepped up to the podium and was mere moments from beginning the first song.

With graceful movements, Marluxia's arms lifted and the band students took a breath. His arms fell, and the first soft note drifted out over the audience.

Zexion couldn't believe he'd never bothered to attend the school's concerts before. It wasn't at all what he'd been expecting. He'd always thought the songs would be simple and on the boring side, but he realized almost immediately that he'd been wrong. This was some of the most captivating, beautiful music he'd ever heard, and Zexion had been exposed to a wide variety of music in his childhood as part of his exams. None of it had interested him, and he'd assumed that this music wouldn't either.

Curious, the senior opened his program and peered at the list of song titles in the Musical Ensemble section. The song currently being played was called "Rising God," by someone called Kazuhiro Soul. The name was familiar but he couldn't quite remember where he'd heard it before.

_Demyx probably knows. I'll just ask him after the concert._

He was very curious about where he'd heard of this Kazuhiro Soul before.

XXX

Damn.

They'd turned the lights back on, and Zexion wasn't sure that was such a good idea. It was, of course, because the concert was over and the performers were now free to interact with the audience. And now Demyx was walking towards him with that shy little smile and bits of blond hair falling over his forehead. It was so cute it was stupid, but the junior was still wearing his uniform—with one hand in his pocket and the other holding his jacket slung over his shoulder. How was it even possible for a human being to be adorable _and_ sexy all at once?

"You're staring again," Axel muttered, that infuriating smirk in place.

"Shut up." He shot a glare at the taller senior to make sure his command was obeyed before moving forward and pulling the blond into a hug then taking his hand before Demyx had a chance to say anything.

"Did you like it?" He sounded a little nervous, as if he was sure that Zexion had been bored out of his mind the entire time.

"I loved it," Zexion assured him, smiling. "It was amazing."

Demyx blushed lightly and lowered his head in shy embarrassment. "Really?"

"Really." Ignoring the fact that they were in an auditorium surrounded by other people, Zexion placed his hand on the younger boy's cheek and lifted his chin so he could kiss him softly. "And you look fantastic in your formal wear," he whispered as he pulled away, looking directly into Demyx's eyes as the boy blushed even darker. His voice had dropped to a lower key than usual, betraying the fact that he was actually a little turned on by the way Demyx looked.

The blond squeezed the older boy's hand gently and moved to stand a little closer to him. "You wanna come over after this?"

"I'd love to."

His shy smile turned slightly playful and he dropped his voice to a whisper. "And stay the night?"

Zexion couldn't help but smirk a little and he ruffled the younger boy's hair. "Don't forget about exams tomorrow. We have to get enough sleep and I know you still need to study for your Anatomy final."

"Are you gonna help me study, Zexy?" the junior asked, pulling the most innocent face he could manage. Somehow, Zexion was able to keep a straight face and merely lifted the hand still clasped in his own, kissing the blond's fingers.

"Of course."

Content and blushing, Demyx used his grip on the blue-haired senior's hand to pull him towards where the art was being displayed. "Come on, let's at least pretend to browse the art before we casually leave to go 'study.'"

"Whatever you want, my lovely meadowlark."

X

"So, which ones are yours?" Roxas asked, drawing Namine's attention away from their shamelessly flirtatious companions, namely Riku and Sora.

Smiling slightly, Namine led him over to one of the stands and pointed at the painting she'd done of the trees for her midterm, the one Mister Marluxia had liked so much. He'd insisted that she allow it to be displayed for the Winter Concert and, unable to disappoint him, she'd agreed. Even now, months after she'd originally designed and finished it, she was still proud of how well it had turned out.

"This is fantastic," Roxas complimented, leaning close to examine the details. "Are these the trees along the path to Kingdom?"

Pleased that he'd recognized it, she nodded. "Yes, though the trees don't look exactly the same as the real ones."

Roxas laughed softly, still looking at the painting. "Well, of course not, but it's still really, really well done. Do you have any other works on display?" He didn't notice the blonde girl's hesitation before she led him to a different stand and gestured at a picture done in charcoal and pastel. Hiding his surprise, Roxas looked the piece over. Despite the unexpected content, it was a beautiful work of art and he was once again impressed by her abilities. Still, he couldn't help but be curious.

"It's really good, but, why him?"

Her cheeks darkening just slightly, Namine shrugged. "I don't know. But it came out really nice, I think."

"Yeah…"

Standing side-by-side, the two blondes looked at the art in question. Done almost entirely in shades of gray was a head-and-shoulders portrait of Mister Marluxia as he looked down at something he was likely holding just in front of himself. The only color was the blue-and-purple pastel that Namine had used to create the proper shade of his irises, which were partially hidden behind his bangs. It was strikingly accurate to the teacher's appearance and the use of the charcoal made his eyes seem almost impossibly vivid. He was smiling just slightly, as if he had a sweet little secret all to himself.

"Do you like him?"

Namine almost jumped, she was so startled by the question. "W-what? Who?"

"Mister Marluxia."

"Well, of course. He's a great teacher and he's always been very polite and kind towards me," she responded, hoping that had been the sort of answer Roxas was looking for but also knowing that it probably wasn't. And why should she like Mister Marluxia at all, after what she knew he'd done? It was wrong, anyway—he was her teacher and they couldn't be together. But, of course, she didn't care because she didn't like him in any way other than that of a teacher and student that got along.

"Namine, do you _like_ him?" Roxas persisted, looking at her with mild concern because she seemed unnecessarily nervous about the picture.

"Oh, no, of course not." She was blushing and both she and Roxas knew it. Her face felt much warmer than usual and she couldn't bring herself to meet her friend's eyes—all she could think about was the time Kairi had looked over her shoulder and accidentally saw one of the drawings in Namine's sketchbook. But Roxas had never seen in any of her sketchbooks, so she tried to force her blush down and gave the most relaxed smile she could. "He's my band director and my art instructor, Roxas. That's all."

Shrugging, Roxas turned his gaze back to the portrait. "If you say so." He would just have to ask Kairi about it sometime later in the week while Namine wasn't there.

XXX

Finally, Demyx finished answering the last question on his study guide and set down his pencil in relief. Normally, filling out his study guide for Anatomy would have taken him at least a few hours. With Zexion's help, it took just a little over one hour, even though they occasionally got off topic and spent a few minutes talking about other things now and then.

"Thanks for helping me, Zex," the junior sighed gratefully as he carefully tucked the study guide inside his text book and set it aside. "That would have taken me ages."

Zexion smiled and settled more comfortably on the bed, stretching his legs out. "No problem. Just go over that a few times before your exam and you'll be fine."

Rolling his shoulders, the blond spent a few minutes working the stiffness out of his muscles before crawling up his boyfriend's body and placing a kiss on the corner of Zexion's mouth. "Are you staying over for the night?"

"Mm…" With an ever so slight smirk, Zexion slid down a little and began leaving butterfly-soft kisses on the exposed skin of Demyx's neck so that the blond shivered, his hands settling on the younger student's slender waist. "I might."

"I'd really love for you to stay," Demyx whispered, putting his own hands to work with the task of unbuttoning Zexion's shirt. "I really," he finished unbuttoning the shirt and pushed it open to bare the older student's chest, "truly," leaning down, he tilted his head and brushed his lips against Zexion's, pulling away when the senior lifted his head for a kiss, "would." Before Zexion could complain, the blond placed a hand flat on the older boy's chest and leaned a bit of his weight on it, effectively pinning him down as he kissed the senior. It was a soft, sweet kiss that had Zexion winding his arms around the junior's waist and pulling the younger boy down so his body rested against his own.

"Dem…" He said it so quietly that Demyx almost didn't hear, but the blond smiled into the kiss, his hands rubbing the bare chest beneath him so that Zexion arched up slightly into the touch. One of the arms around his waist tightened and he felt a hand slide up his back under his shirt.

"Ah," he broke away from the kiss, spine arching at the almost-tickling touch, "Zexion…"

Blue eyes full of mischief, Zexion nuzzled Demyx's cheek and began moving his hand in small circles on the younger boy's back, letting his nails trail lightly over the sensitive skin. "Yes, little lark?"

Without even a moment's hesitation, Demyx straddled Zexion's waist and sat up, hurriedly unbuttoning the front of his vest and shrugging out of it as a second pair of hands quickly unbuttoned his shirt. Less than ten seconds after sitting up he was shirtless and Zexion had sat up as well, his mouth now latched onto the hollow of Demyx's collarbone. Both of his hands slid up the younger boy's back to hold Demyx somewhat still as the blond squirmed slightly at the feeling of lips and teeth and a tongue biting and licking and sucking at that sensitive spot.

"Z-Zex…ah…"

Encouraged, Zexion licked the fast-forming hickey he'd just made before kissing his way up the blond's neck to capture his lips in another kiss. It wasn't as long as the first one and he pulled away after only a few moments. Instead, he focused on that plump bottom lip, drawing it into his own mouth to suck and nip then lick to soothe away any sting the younger boy may have felt before starting the process all over again until he felt Demyx's nails digging into his back out of frustration. The blond tried to press closer and kiss the older boy only to have Zexion bite his lip to reprimand him, which made him draw away only to have the senior pull him back and lick where he'd bit.

"Zexion!" Demyx whined after several minutes of this, sitting back and pouting so that the older boy laughed. "It's not funny! You're teasing!"

"Of course I am." Gently, he gripped the blond's chin and kissed him, tongue slipping between his parted lips and catching him by surprise so that Demyx groaned softly and snaked his arms around Zexion's neck. His hand released the younger boy's chin and slid along his jawline to the back of his head where it tangled into the blond mullet, preventing him from pulling away before Zexion was ready for the kiss to end. He took his time in plundering the mouth that was so willingly offered to him, letting his tongue roam over every bump, ridge and curve as he—not for the first time—memorized the shape of it.

Not wanting to be completely submissive, Demyx allowed this patient exploration to continue for only a short time before he began to not-so-patiently push back with his own tongue. There was a short struggle for dominance as he tried to subdue the invading appendage, thought it didn't take long for Zexion to prove that he was in fact the dominant partner in this little make out session. Then, and only then, did he allow Demyx's tongue to move into his own mouth and he patiently allowed for the junior to do to him what he'd just done to Demyx. He was clumsy and not very experienced but not without his talents, and soon Zexion found that he was moaning quietly and out of breath just like Demyx had been a few moments ago.

"You're getting better at this," he murmured once the blond had pulled away, pushing Demyx back on the bed and moving over him as he covered the junior's neck in kisses and little nips. His breath came in short pants despite his best efforts to calm it, though judging by the way Demyx shivered when Zexion exhaled against the skin of his neck, he didn't mind that the senior was a little winded.

"Mm…th-thanks…"

"You're welcome." Without warning, he bit down at the corner of Demyx's jaw, tugging and sucking at the skin there to form a second hickey. At the same time, he lightly dragged his nails down the junior's front, leaving faint nail marks going from his collarbone down past his bellybutton to his pants. Demyx arched into the touch, gasping and then moaning Zexion's name just a little louder than before as the nails scraped across his skin.

"Zexion, more," he pleaded softly as the senior continued ministering to the corner of his jaw.

Almost immediately, the hand that had trailed down his front was tugging on his belt, opening it quickly and then moving onto the buttons and zippers that kept the junior's charcoal gray dress pants closed. When he'd finally managed to undo the near-ridiculous number of buttons and clasps and the zipper, he softly kissed the mark he'd made at the corner of Demyx's jaw then looked into the junior's eyes, their foreheads pressing together.

"Is this okay? I'm not going too fast, am I?" he asked quietly, knowing that they'd only been dating for around a month and that what he intended to do to the boy beneath him might be too much for such a young relationship.

Slightly out of breath and flushed, Demyx smiled shyly then tilted his chin up to just barely let his lips brush against Zexion's. "It's great, you're perfect, I'm fine, and I might be mad at you if you don't keep going."

The way he said it made the blue-haired senior chuckle and he returned Demyx's kiss, though his was fuller and lasted for several moments. "Whatever you want, my lovely meadowlark," he teased before using both hands to grip the fabric of Demyx's pants and tugging them down to his knees.

Immediately, the junior's face darkened to red and he glanced away from Zexion, biting his lip nervously. What would Zexion think of him? Mister Marluxia had teased him about his inexperience and used his naivety against him, but he knew that Zexion would never do something like that. Besides, this wasn't the first time they'd kissed like this. They'd just always stopped before going this far because Zexion was worried about upsetting him. Demyx thought that was silly—he could never be upset with Zexion just for wanting to be physical with him, but the senior insisted on taking things at a fairly slow pace. Admittedly, Demyx was glad that the older boy cared that much.

"Keep going," he urged quietly when he looked up again to find Zexion watching him with concern. The senior had his fingers wrapped in the fabric of Demyx's dark green boxers and was ready to remove them but had stopped what he was doing when the younger boy looked away.

"Are you sure? You look nervous."

Demyx did his best to smile. "I'm fine, Zex. It's just…you know…doing this for the first time with my first actual boyfriend…I can't help but feel a little shy, you know?"

If that wasn't one of the most adorable things he'd ever heard in his life, then Zexion didn't think he'd ever consider anything other than Demyx himself to be adorable ever again. He was too cute. He was too god damn cute for Zexion to do something so dirty to him.

"You're my first boyfriend, too, Dem. I've never done this before," he confided in the blond, suddenly feeling a bit shy and nervous himself. Sure, he'd kissed a girl or two in his home town before coming to Kingdom High, but since he'd started school here, he'd been too busy with his studies to give dating the time of day. That is, until he saw Marluxia and Demyx at the homecoming dance and essentially drove himself crazy thinking about the junior. "If this makes you uncomfortable, we can stop and just watch a movie and cuddle or something."

"No, I want to do this." His smile was less forced this time as Demyx gently pulled the older boy down into a sweet kiss. "I want to do this with _you_ because I like you a lot and I trust you. I'm ready for this."

Zexion grinned and gripped the junior's boxes more firmly. "I like you a lot, too, Demy." Then he tugged on the fabric until the boxers were at the blond's knees, kissing him deeply all the while as Demyx held onto him to keep him from pulling away. Slowly, they broke apart, and Zexion let his eyes wander down his boyfriend's bare torso until he reached the boy's waist and paused before looking at this new part of Demyx that he'd never seen before. He knew his face was redder than it had been a few moments ago as he took in the sight of Demyx's half-hard member—the junior was bigger than he'd expected, though he didn't know why. It wasn't as if he was disproportionate.

Forcefully, he brought his gaze back up to Demyx's flushed face and met the jade green eyes. "Can I?"

A small nod was the only response he got, so he leaned down and began dropping kisses all over the younger boy's chest as one of his hands slowly slid up the junior's thigh. The combination of touches made Demyx shiver and arch just slightly in anticipation as that hand moved closer and closer to the one place he really wanted it to be. Then the hand disappeared and he almost groaned in disappointment—the sound caught in his throat when the tip of a finger trailed along the side of his cock and he let out a strangled sounding squeak that made him blush even darker in embarrassment. He heard Zexion chuckle before teeth scraped over the skin of his chest and that damned finger began moving in little teasing circles around the head of his hardening member.

Trembling, Demyx whined in the back of his throat and moved his hips, trying to get Zexion to _really_ touch him, though he knew how much the older boy loved to tease and that he might have to put up with his games for a little while longer. When, unsurprisingly, the older student ignored his wordless request, Demyx gathered up the blankets he was laying on into his fists and clamped his mouth shut. He wasn't making another sound until Zexion quit being such a tease.

"Someone got quiet," the senior commented, kissing his way up Demyx's chest and neck so he could look into the younger boy's eyes. "Are you trying to make a point, meadowlark?" His finger curved around the blond's length and slowly stroked up and down so that Demyx had to bite his tongue to keep from making a sound.

"Ah, I see what you're doing. No sounds for me until I give you what you want, huh?" Zexion purred, leaning down to put his lips by his boyfriend's ear. His tongue slipped out to draw the blond's earlobe into his mouth and he played with the sensitive skin until Demyx was breathing hard through his nose in his determination to maintain his silence. "Come on, my lovely little lark, sing for me."

Not fair! Entirely not fair! He _knew_ what it did to Demyx to be called that pet name in that particular tone! The junior practically melted and was putty in Zexion's hands whenever the senior did that, but this time he tightened his grip on the blankets and looked away in blatant refusal to give in. He was _not_ giving in.

"Demyx," the senior cooed, his palm rubbing against the overly sensitive flesh between Demyx's legs, "I want to hear how good this feels to you. Let me know how it feels."

Demyx shook his head, eyes purposefully looking everywhere but at the student hovering over him. "N-not until you s-stop teasing."

Lips pressed against his neck. "You don't like my teasing?"

"Not when I'm hard and I want—!" He stopped suddenly, biting his lip as his face turned a dark red at what he'd been about to say. Sensing an opportunity, Zexion kissed the younger boy persuasively, tracing his tongue over the shape of those perfect lips before moving past them and deepening the kiss. Only a moment later, Demyx let go of the blankets and wrapped his arms around Zexion's shoulders instead, one hand tangling in the hair on the back of the senior's head and the other going to the middle of his back where his nails dug in. Unexpectedly, he felt the hand that had been teasing him _finally_ wrap around his length and pump once. A bolt of pleasure shot up his spine and Demyx gasped, his back arching off the bed and effectively pressing up into Zexion as the senior continued to kiss him.

"Z-Zexion," the blond moaned as his mouth and body were claimed completely by the boy above him, "please, m-more…"

Finally ready to obey the requests of his younger companion, Zexion began pumping at a steady pace that soon had Demyx panting and he switched from kissing him to biting and sucking at the blond's neck. Maybe he shouldn't have teased the junior, but he really couldn't help himself. And besides, the sounds that Demyx was now making were worth his previous silence. Every breath was a gasp and Zexion didn't think he'd ever get tired of hearing his own name come out in moans from the boy below him. It was all making him feel rather warm and he knew he was just as aroused as Demyx was, but he chose to ignore it, at least for now. He had more important things to focus on at the moment.

"Does it feel good, my lovely little meadowlark?" he purred seductively, twisting his hand as he began pumping faster so that Demyx arched and bucked his hips a little; his nails dug deeper into Zexion's back, but the senior didn't mind.

"Y-yes! Ah!"

"Such a pretty voice~"

"Zexion!" Demyx's eyes widened when he felt the senior's thumb rub over his tip at the exact same moment that a tongue found one of his nipples. He clutched at Zexion's hair and back as teeth soon followed the tongue, able to force out only a few words other than the blue-haired boy's name amidst his nearly constant groans. "O-oh my g—ah! Z-Zex!"

The name was more of a keening whine than anything else as Demyx tried desperately to hold back the pressure building in his stomach, tried to keep from coming undone. He felt like he was coming apart at the seams—he'd long since partially kicked off his pants and boxers and had drawn his knees up as his feet twisted and slid against the blankets beneath him, searching for traction to help him push up against Zexion's hand in search of more friction, more touching, just _more_ because that was all he wanted and all he needed.

The hand on him began moving faster, squeezing lightly as it went from base to tip and back again, and Demyx could tell that it had become wet with something even though he didn't know what, and he didn't care because Zexion was sucking on that sensitive little mound of flesh and touching him so intimately that he didn't care about anything except the places where they touched and how warm he felt and how tight his stomach was and that he was about to burst out of his skin.

"You're really close," Zexion murmured, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. His hand was slick with the blond's pre-cum, making it easier to stroke and pump him, and Demyx was breathing as if he was in the middle of running a marathon. All he needed to do was find that one little thing that would push the younger boy over the edge.

Slowing the movements of his hand—Demyx whined and lifted his hips in protest—the senior looked down at his nearly-undone boyfriend in search of that special spot. Demyx's hands had tangled themselves in the bedsheets when Zexion pulled away and his pants were caught haphazardly on one ankle, making him look wanton and, quite honestly, like the incarnation of sex itself. Zexion smirked and leaned down to kiss the blond's neck.

"Tell me, little lark, do you have a special spot that no one gets to touch?"

Demyx's already flushed face darkened at the question and he whimpered softly, knowing exactly why Zexion was asking but still nervous to share such information after having kept it a secret.

"I-it's embarrassing," he panted, his frustration at the lack of friction on his erection growing rapidly.

"I don't care. If it helps me pleasure you, then I want to know about it."

The blond whined, hesitating until his desperation got the better of him. "The u-underside of my chin."

A grin curled Zexion's lips. "Perfect." With a gentle hand, he tilted the blond's head back to expose the described area and ever so slowly trailed his tongue from the boy's collarbone all the way to his chin. As expected, Demyx shuddered and whined, only to revert to groans as Zexion's other hand rapidly began moving once more. Determined, Zexion kissed the sensitive skin before biting down gently, tugging at the skin caught between his teeth and sucking on it at the same time. Mere seconds of this treatment was all it took.

"_Zexion!"_ The name burst out of him in what was very nearly a scream as his back arched all the way off the bed and his vision flickered in a way that would have frightened him but he hardly noticed it, he was so overwhelmed by the pleasure that was drowning out his other senses. He could still feel Zexion's hand on his length and his mouth on that overly sensitive spot he usually kept secret; fingers were gently combing through his hair. Slowly, his body relaxed again and he collapsed on the bed, panting heavily as glazed green eyes stared at the ceiling. The hand in his hair continued its patient stroking but the two other places Zexion had been attending to were abandoned as the senior kissed him softly.

"How was that, my lovely little lark?" the blue-haired boy asked quietly, smiling as he pressed his forehead to the younger student's.

"F-fantastic," Demyx managed to say, still out of breath from the first climax he'd ever willingly experienced and feeling pleasantly drowsy and warm. Zexion kissed him again.

"Good." Before he could sit up or even move at all, Zexion felt hands on his shoulders pushing him over onto his back as Demyx somehow managed to completely flip their positions. "What is it?"

Demyx smiled innocently despite the fact that he was a post-orgasmic mess. "It's your turn."


	39. Chapter 39

_Tuesday_

One by one, students wandered into his office to turn in their essays. Some looked as if they hadn't slept in three days, which may very well have been the case. Others appeared nervous while some looked simply relieved to have finished the assignment on time. Very few of them looked as if they actually thought they'd done well on the essay. Unsurprisingly, when Kairi appeared through the door, she was one of those few.

"Hello, Professor Luxord," she greeted him as she approached his desk.

"Good afternoon, Kairi." It was impossible to look at her without thinking of the last time he'd spoken to her. The redhead had seemed so innocent, but Luxord knew better than to be fooled as she smiled ever so sweetly.

With a graceful flourish, the sophomore pulled a neatly stapled packet out of her bag and placed it on the history teacher's desk. As was required, the top page was blank save for the due date of the essay, its title, and the student's name.

"Thank you. I'll be sure to mark you down as on time," Luxord said as he moved the essay onto the stack of those he'd already received. It was thicker than the others, but he didn't give it much thought—Kairi had always been a bit of an academic overachiever.

"What would you have done if I was late?" Kairi asked, surprising the blond teacher.

Why was she asking? She'd never been late with an assignment before and he doubted she ever would be. Still, there was no reason not to answer her question.

"You would lose points or, if it was late enough, receive a zero for the grade."

Kairi made a slightly pouty face. "Aw, that's no fun."

Taken aback, Luxord blinked several times. "Excuse me?"

"Well, as a sophisticated, educated man with extensive knowledge of history, I'd hoped you would be able to come up with a more interesting form of punishment than reducing a grade."

Luxord raised one blond eyebrow as he looked at the smiling student standing before him. "And what else, I should ask, would you have me do?" It was a dangerous question to ask, given the way Kairi had been behaving towards him all semester, but he couldn't help himself.

"You're a smart man, Professor. I'm sure you could think of _something_ better than giving me a zero. If you want a few ideas to get you started, though, then you can just read my essay." She winked cheekily, making Luxord's face warm with a blush, then wiggled her fingers in a goodbye wave before quickly leaving the classroom. The teacher stared at the door even after the redhead had vanished, partially stunned by what had just occurred.

She had winked at him. She had blatantly flirted with him even after promising to destroy what she'd written and assuring him that she would stop this nonsense before she got both of them in trouble.

Wait. Her essay. Pale blue eyes widened and Luxord snatched up the papers she'd handed in, flipping through them hastily. The first five pages were, as was required, the essay. After that, it couldn't have been farther from the assignment.

_It was dirty. A scandal. But she'd never been so thrilled as she was now. Her skin tingled with anticipation. There mere sight of him made her heart pound—wordlessly, she dropped her bag to the floor and began loosening her tie._

"_Professor."_

"_No, Kairi. I've told you before, we can't do this. It's wrong."_

_Ignoring his words, the student approached his desk as her hands worked on the buttons of her uniform blouse. "You know I don't care."_

_Her shirt fell to the floor._

Luxord was gripping the paper so tightly he was surprised it hadn't ripped. This was bad. She had _promised_ not to write another one, yet she'd had the nerve to not only write it but _turn it in with an assignment._ His face reddening, the teacher quickly tore the extra pages away from Kairi's essay and shoved them into his briefcase before placing the essay on the stack once more. Then he leaned his elbows on his desk and rubbed his hands over his face, sighing. This had to stop. She was going to get him fired or arrested and ruin her own future. He'd told her to stop. What did he have to do to make her stop?

Slowly, his gaze shifted to the briefcase; he could see the edges of the pages he'd stuffed in haphazardly among his other possessions. _A few ideas to get him started._ She couldn't possibly mean…? No, definitely not. Kairi didn't want to sleep with him. She was a flirt, nothing more. All she wanted was to toy with his brain and his emotions until he gave in and admitted that he was attracted to her. Then she would laugh at him for falling prey to her teenage charms and leave him in misery. Maybe even turn him in.

That didn't seem all that likely, either. Kairi was a good student and always had been, save for the Kool-Aid-in-the-pool prank at the beginning of the year that he'd given her a month of detentions for. The one time she'd misbehaved, and it had landed her square in his path. Her behavior towards him had grown less and less appropriate every day since he'd told her to dress more modestly and it was driving him mad.

With a sigh, the teacher glanced at his watch and was relieved to see that it was no past the allotted time for students to come turn in their essays. Anyone who still had to turn it in would have to do so via email, so he would know exactly who had been late and who hadn't. Gathering the essays, he slipped them into his briefcase—carefully avoiding touching the pages of Kairi's story—and left the classroom. Before he walked away down the hall, he taped a piece of paper to the door that read, "Essays are now overdue. If you have yet to turn yours in, email it to me at ProfLux ." He wouldn't bother checking the email until the end of the week, just so he wouldn't have to go through it more than once. Sometimes, Luxord could be the laziest man in the world. Luckily, he didn't have any actual exams to give today, so he was free to return to his quarters and relax until tomorrow. Three exams on Wednesday, which he would definitely _not_ enjoy sitting through. He'd have to remember to take a book along with him, or maybe something that would make him look at least somewhat productive. Maybe he'd start reading through the essays that had been turned in on time.

Pale blue eyes glanced down at the leather case in his hand as he crossed the short space between the school building and the faculty housing. He could always read…no. Not in the classroom, surrounded by students. Not ever.

_I'm sure it isn't even that good,_ he told himself stubbornly as he pulled his collar up to protect his neck from the cold wind. _How would she know what to write? She's one of the school's biggest flirts, but I doubt she's actually slept with anyone before. This _story _will be whimsical and unrealistic. There's no point in bothering to read through it all._

Still, he couldn't help but be a little curious about how Kairi thought of him.

_Wednesday_

He couldn't believe he was doing this.

Nerves clamoring for him to turn around, to text them that he couldn't make it, to _run,_ Roxas made slow progress up the stairs of the senior dorm hall. Why he'd chosen the stairs over the elevator, he didn't know. Probably because he was too nervous about spending the evening with Axel in the senior's dorm to be there as quickly as the elevator would have taken him there. The stairs gave him time to calm himself down, promise himself that it would be okay. It was just giving him more time to think about how nervous he was.

_I should have just taken the stupid elevator._

By the time he reached the right floor, he was slightly out of breath and his face was red from the effort of carrying his book-laden bag up eight flights of stairs. Pausing, Roxas leaned against the wall and caught his breath, letting his bag rest on the cement floor by his feet. Man, was he really so out of shape that walking up the stairs winded him? He worked out in P.E. class and he didn't eat junk food—he knew he was healthy and nowhere near overweight. Just because he wasn't a musclehead like Sora sometimes was, didn't mean he was lazy. But, wow, all those stairs had really taken it out of him.

Once he'd finally managed to get his breathing back to normal and he was sure his face wasn't flushed anymore, the blond hoisted his bag back over his shoulder and left the stairwell. The senior hall was unfamiliar to him, seeing as he'd never been there before, and it was considerably nicer than the freshman hall. This was really saying something, since the freshman hall was pretty nice. He shouldn't have been surprised, though, considering how much it cost just to go to this school. Everything here was nice.

He wandered the floor for several minutes before he finally found the right room—806—and knocked a bit hesitantly. The two voices he could hear coming through the wood of the door stopped abruptly before footsteps sounded and the door opened.

"Roxy!" Axel stood there grinning down at him, red hair slightly mussed as if he'd been sleeping and hadn't bothered to fix it yet. "You made it!"

"Yes. And don't call me Roxy," he added quickly, trying not to blush at the nickname. Hardly anyone called him that, and never with the sort of affection that Axel had managed to attach to it.

Axel's grin widened slightly as if the blond's request amused him. "Sure, sure. Come on in and we'll get started!"

With a shy nod, Roxas moved past the senior into the dorm and looked around, impressed. "It's so big," he commented, and didn't see the way Axel smirked as he shut the door.

"Of course it is. You didn't think they'd shove two seniors into one of those tiny rooms the freshmen get, did you? We're physically too big, and our egos would clash constantly without space," the redhead explained, his green-eyed gaze landing on the other senior in the room.

Seated at his desk with his books already open, Zexion met his roommate's eyes and nodded his agreement. "You barely survived freshman year, you idiot. I passed up several golden opportunities to poison you.

Roxas looked somewhat alarm by this statement, eyes widening and mouth falling open just slightly. He looked so cute that Axel had to resist the urge to hug the younger boy and kiss his cheek and promise him that he was safe from the chemical-loving senior. That would probably earn him an elbow to his gut or a similarly unhappy reaction from the blond, so he settled for running a hand through his hair.

"He's joking," he said when Roxas continued to stare at Zexion, and the blond turned those amazing eyes on him.

"Oh. Of course he is. I know he wouldn't actually kill you."

Axel saw Zexion grin over the blond's shoulder and fought back a laugh. "Right. Should we get started, then?"

A heavy sigh escaped the sophomore and he adjusted the strap of his bag. "Yeah, probably. I'm going to have my butt handed to me by this test if I don't study for about ten hours."

"Have you looked over the chemistry notes, yet?" Zexion asked, and Roxas shook his head.

"I'll focus on chemistry once calculus is out of the way," the blond explained, "since that test is later in the week."

"You're welcome to come study for that one, too," Axel offered with an uncharacteristically shy smile. "Zexion's a science wiz, so he'll be able to help you if you can't figure something out."

"That's true," the blue-haired senior drawled with false conceit, and Axel chuckled.

Blue eyes moving between the two roommates, Roxas found that he rather enjoyed the way they interacted. Like best friends but closer. It was nice. "Thank you."

Pleased, Axel looked around the dorm as if searching for something to say. "Um…you wanna use my desk, or…?"

Roxas smiled uncertainly. "I'll sit wherever you want me."

The redhead opened his mouth to reply, smirking, but Zexion cut him off.

"I wouldn't say things like that around Axel. He's liable to take advantage and hit on you," the shorter of the two seniors warned, and Roxas' cheeks turned pink.

"Would not!" Axel protested, embarrassed to have become so predictable. Or maybe Zexion just knew him that well. "I was gonna say he could sit wherever he wanted!"

The eyebrow that was visible rose and Zexion gave his roommate a knowing look. "Really."

"Yes!"

"I don't believe you."

"That's because you think I want to sleep with anything that breathes."

"It's because I know you've got a crush on blondie," Zexion betrayed him, jerking a thumb at Roxas and making the sophomore blush darkly and stare at his shoes.

"Traitor!" Axel accused, his face almost as red as Roxas'. Huffing, he dropped onto his bed and slouched against the wall, arms crossed over his chest as he sulked. Things had been going so well, and Zexion had to go and bring up the fact that he _liked_ Roxas. Now things were going to be awkward.

A few moments of uncomfortable silence passed before Roxas gathered his courage and moved to sit beside the redhead, surprising them both.

"It's okay," he said quietly with a small smile. "I already knew you liked me."

"That doesn't mean I want him saying it like that right in front of you," the senior pouted, glaring across the room at Zexion.

Roxas's smile widened a little and he touched Axel's arm so that the redhead looked at him. Their eyes met and his breath caught in his throat for a moment—he hadn't realized how very close he was to the older boy, but he didn't draw away. "Maybe not," he said quietly, "but I don't mind."

Axel looked dumbfounded. "You don't?"

"No. It doesn't bother me that you like me, Axel," Roxas admitted, blushing all over again. "I just didn't like the way you were behaving towards me because of it." They both knew he meant when the senior had gotten him in trouble by passing notes and the time he'd been drunk at the party and kissed him.

"Yeah…" Axel rubbed at the back of his head, lowering his gaze. "I'm sorry about that…"

"I know. It's okay."

They smiled at each other, both shy and nervous about this first moment of genuinely getting along, and Zexion rolled his eyes from his place across the room.

"If you two are done confessing your love to each other," he began, making the two boys flush and draw away from each other with nervous laughs, "we should start studying so we don't fail Larxene's test."

Axel rolled his eyes. "As if you'd ever get anything lower than a 99% on a test, Zex."

Zexion grinned. "Oh, right. Sometimes I forget that I'm a genius. We should start studying so _you_ don't fail the test," he corrected, and Roxas chuckled quietly before he could stop himself.

Green eyes mischievous and with one lifted eyebrow, the redhead turned to him and smirked. "You got something to say, blondie?"

"Ah," Roxas paused, searching for something to say before putting on the most innocent expression he could manage. "No, of course not, Axel." The senior rolled his eyes and pushed at his shoulder gently.

"Quit it with the puppy eyes, Rox. I don't have any treats, and if you keep that up, I might have to kiss you."

Roxas' face turned red and he quickly stopped, opening his bag and taking out his calculus book and notes to keep his hands busy. Was he…flirting? With _Axel?_ And it hadn't made him uncomfortable? This would never have happened a week and a half ago, but now…he didn't mind flirting with the senior. Not when Axel was actually being polite about it. Maybe he'd been entirely wrong about the senior. Maybe.

_Friday_

"You're not gonna win, Brat."

"Yes, I am!"

Riku smirked, rolling his eyes as Sora toweled his hair. The two sophomores were standing in the locker room, surrounded by their P.E. classmates and had just finished showering.

"Roxas," the silver-haired student said, gaining the blond's attention, "you know I'm right. There's no way Sora got higher marks than me."

The blond twin smiled slightly. "I wouldn't be so sure, Riku. He studied even more than I did."

Looking slightly surprised by this, Riku looked at Sora as the brunet pulled his boxers on under his towel. Come to think of it, the younger boy _had _seemed to be studying more than he did for midterms. He'd even cut their workouts short so he could look over his notes a few more times before each exam.

Shit. What if he'd _lost?_ He'd never lost anything in his life. If he lost this bet, then he'd have to be Sora's slave for twenty-four hours, and he just knew the brunet would be out for revenge after the way Riku had treated him while Sora was his slave.

_He'll run me into the ground, just because he can._

It was too late to back out of the bet, and no way was he going to chicken out just because he didn't want to have to admit defeat. Besides, there was still a chance that he'd won. It wasn't as if he'd slacked off in his studying. Either way, he'd get to spend another entire day with the brunet, and he wasn't going to complain about that. He just hoped Sora wouldn't be too aggressive with his revenge.

"Hurry up, old man," Sora taunted, already dressed. Riku was still in his towel and had only pulled on a T-shirt after rubbing his hair with a towel.

Embarrassed to have gotten so distracted by thinking about the bet that he forgot to finish dressing, Riku hurriedly dried off and pulled his clothes on as Sora and Roxas waited for him. Both twins were smiling, their expressions identical in a way that worried him. They definitely knew something he didn't, which only made him even more certain that Sora had actually gotten better marks on his exams.

Sora was practically bouncing as he led the way out of the locker room, and Riku couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"Don't look so smug yet, Brat. The grades won't be handed back for a week."

"But I already know I won!" the brunet chirped, his blue eyes absolutely gleeful. "Just you wait. When you have to be my slave, it's gonna be awesome."

"You gonna use me for sex?" Riku asked as he continued walking, irritated. He knew that wasn't what Sora had meant, but the younger boy's triumphant happiness was getting on his nerves. _He'd_ never been that annoying about winning, so he didn't understand why Sora had to be, and they didn't even know who the winner was yet. Somehow, he knew it was only going to get worse over the next week.

Sora grinned. "Only if you're a bad boy," he cooed, and Roxas made a face like he might be sick. "I promise to be a good master as long as you behave yourself."

"Gee, thanks."

As the three students exited the school's main building, they turned towards the mess hall with the intent of meeting Kairi and Namine there for dinner.

"I, uh, invited Axel and Zexion to come along," Roxas spoke up as they walked, looking a bit nervous to announce it. "I think Zexion is bringing Demyx."

"Cool," Sora replied, his head bowed against the wind. "The more the merrier, you know." He didn't say it, but he was glad his brother was giving the red-haired senior a chance.

After everything that had happened between them over the past five months, it was about time things started settling down. Maybe the three older students would become permanent additions to their little group of friends—they already knew and got along with Demyx, so that helped, and since Demyx was dating Zexion, the senior was sure to be around whenever the junior was. Axel practically jumped at the chance to spend time with Roxas, and they all knew it. Besides, his brother had willingly gone over to the senior dorm hall more than once during the week to study, and Sora knew how important Roxas considered exams to be. He wouldn't have gone over there if he didn't think it was worth it.

And Sora had probably won the bet with Riku! _Finally,_ he was going to beat the older boy. And then Riku would know just how embarrassing it was to be forced into those stupid outfits. He didn't have anything special because he hadn't ordered anything online like the older student had, but Kairi and Namine had already offered their assistance. If Riku thought this round of Slave-for-a-Day was going to be boring, he had another thing coming. Sora was prepared to be anything but boring.


	40. Chapter 40

He barely saw it coming and only just managed to dodge, ducking as the projectile sailed over his head.

"Hey!" Indignant at having been attacked without warning, Riku turned and glared at his assailant. "You'd be dead if that'd hit me!"

Sora grinned, a second snowball in his hand. Without a word, he drew his arm back and threw it with all his might, aiming directly for the older boy's chest. But Riku was ready for this one. The snowball had barely left Sora's hand when the silver-haired athlete dodged to the left, keeping low to present a smaller target, and scooped up his own handful of snow.

"Throw it," Sora dared him, now only about fifteen feet away. The others had retreated to a safe distance to watch the exchange and Riku had the feeling that he was the only one who hadn't known what Sora was planning.

Teal eyes regarding his adversary, he gently patted the snow into the shape of a ball—good thing he'd remembered to put his gloves on. "You don't wanna get into this with me, Brat."

"Throw that snowball and it'll be an official Snowball Fight. It's your choice."

Riku narrowed his eyes. The brunet's tone was obviously that of a challenge and made it clear that if Riku didn't throw the object in his hand, Sora would deem him a coward. While he considered the turn his afternoon had taken, Riku slowly shifted the snowball against his palm.

Well, why not.

Faster than Sora could register, the older boy's arm recoiled then whipped forward. The snowball flew out of his grip and slammed into Sora's gut only a second later, the white sticking to the fabric of his coat.

With an audible _oof,_ the brunet stumbled back a few steps, clutching at his mid-section and grimacing. A grin took over Riku's features; the kid really didn't know what he'd gotten himself into.

"Good…throw," Sora gasped as he tried to regain the breath that had been knocked out of him.

"Give up now, Brat, or you'll be bruised from head to toe by morning," Riku advised as he scooped up a second handful of snow.

Sora's grimace transformed into a smirk and he managed to stand straight again. "I didn't know you were into rough stuff, Riku," he teased as he brushed the snow off his coat, "but if you promise not to be too mean, we can give it a try."

Instantly, the pink tint in Riku's cheeks from the cold darkened and he fought back the myriad of images his brain created. Yes, he'd be rough with him. The kid deserved it after all this damned teasing. If Riku had the chance to, he'd make sure Sora knew exactly how frustrating he could be, and the brat would love every second of it.

"Hello? Earth to Riku," Sora's voice broke into his thoughts and Riku shook his head to clear his thoughts.

Shit, he'd gotten distracted and Sora was still waiting for a response.

"I'm not promising shit." The snow now molded into the perfect size and shape for a weapon, Riku threw it at the younger student with less force than the first one. Sora dodged it easily, as Riku had known he would, and he grinned slightly. "Winner tops." He watched as the younger boy's expression became confused before understanding lit up his eyes only to quickly turn into alarm bordering on panic. Wow, he really thought Riku was serious.

"Uh…I don't think I'm willing to make a bet about this," Sora replied, shifting his weight uncomfortably from foot to foot.

Riku rolled his eyes; he couldn't help it. "Relax, Brat. I was kidding. You really think I'd fuck you just because of a snowball fight? Not a chance."

"Oh." Even though he didn't like the way Riku had said it, Sora was obviously relieved that his friend hadn't really planned on using the snowball fight as a way to get sex. "Okay."

Almost offended, Riku moved to stand only about a foot in front of Sora and crossed his arms over his chest. "What sort of guy do you take me for, Brat? You make a joke about me being rough with you, and when I joke back, you turn into a bunny that might bolt at any second. Seriously, do you really think I'm so desperate for sex that I'd use you? Your confidence in my character is overwhelming."

Embarrassed to have been called out on his behavior, Sora blushed a little and looked down at his booted feet. "N-no, I know you wouldn't do that."

"Then why do you act like I'm about to drag you into the bushes and force you to sleep with me? You're my best friend, Sora. I would hope you know me better than to think I'm that sleazy."

Blue eyes met teal and Sora fidgeted with his scarf guiltily to see that Riku was genuinely upset about it. "I don't really think you will, Riku. Honest. I know—" He stopped, hesitating. He'd been about to say that he knew Riku wasn't actually interested in him in that way, but he didn't want to say it. He didn't want to admit it. "I know you're not that kind of guy and I'm sorry for acting like you are."

A small smile, one that was even a little shy, made its way onto the older boy's face and he pulled Sora into a one-armed hug. "I know, Brat. Now, are we gonna have this snowball fight or what?"

Sora grinned widely. "We are, but it's not just gonna be us."

"It's not?"

"Nope!" Turning, the brunet waved towards the others to signal that it was safe for them to come over then flashed his usual contagious grin. "Roxas, Kairi, Namine and Demyx are gonna be in it, too."

"What about Axel and Zexion?" Riku asked, gaze landing on the two seniors who had tagged along after dinner.

"We'll watch," Zexion replied firmly, his arm around Demyx's waist in an almost-but-not-quite-possessive manner that the blond didn't seem to mind at all. "Axel and I aren't exactly fond of the snow."

Axel shuddered at the mere thought of having the freezing substance thrown at him. "We don't like the cold, in general."

"Big baby," Roxas muttered, rolling his blue eyes at the senior standing beside him—Axel blushed but didn't say anything to defend himself.

Riku hid the smirk that attempted to worm its way onto his face at seeing this tiny exchange, his arm still slung around Sora's shoulders. "Who's on whose team?"

"Roxas is on mine!" Sora all but yelled before anyone else could speak up, and the blond wordlessly stepped to his side.

It was difficult to keep from rolling his eyes and making a sarcastic comment. "Are we choosing like team captains or what?"

The only response he got was a grin from Sora before the brunet claimed Kairi for his own team as well. Which meant Riku had Namine and Demyx. Perfect. He sighed.

"Okay, what are the rules?"

"No headshots. We keep going until one team surrenders."

"Fair enough." Bending down, Riku gathered enough snow for a snowball into his hands and proceeded to shove it down the back of Sora's coat so that it got inside his shirt. The brunet, who had been busy talking to Roxas about strategy, screamed at the sudden icy sensation on his back and leaped forward over two feet as his hands scrabbled at his back.

"Ohmygodit'scoldgetitoutRikuthatwassonotcoolyoubig jerkI'mgonnagetyouforthat!" The words left him in a single stream without pauses in between, making it difficult to understand him as he twisted and turned. It was clear, however, that he was displeased with what had just been done to him. Riku couldn't help but laugh as he watched his friend's desperate attempts to shake the quickly melting snow out of his clothes. When the younger boy finally stopped jumping around like a lunatic and instead stood there panting, Riku turned to the blonds that were his teammates.

"I hope you both understand the fact that I don't take kindly to losing," he informed them, then started off towards the central courtyard. "Let's get started." Demyx and Namine trailed after him like ducklings while Sora stomped over to where Kairi and Roxas were waiting.

"We're going to kick their butts, got it?" he growled, and his twin and best friend nodded. "No way am I letting him get away with that."

"You could always get back at him during your Slave-for-a-Day," Kairi suggested.

Sora grinned. "Oh, I will. But I'm going to make sure he knows how much trouble he's in."

"Come on, Brat!" Riku yelled from his place by one of the courtyard's pillars. "Let's do this before I die of old age!" He was already holding a snowball in each hand, and Namine and Demyx had vanished, presumably to hide and ambush anyone who came within range of their hiding places. Sora flashed a grin at his teammates.

"You guys ready for this? It's gonna be intense."

Roxas offered a thumbs up and a grin that matched his brother's as Kairi nodded. "Let's get 'em." Before any of the three sophomores could move, a snowball smacked into Roxas' shoulder and the blond yelped in surprise.

"Get a move on, slow pokes!"

As soon as Sora turned and started running towards the courtyard, Riku disappeared behind one of the pillars and crouched among the bushes there, waiting. It wasn't long before the brunet passed by, and he already had another snowball ready and waiting. Without making a sound, he stood and threw it, hitting the younger boy square between the shoulder blades. Sora whirled around, blue eyes flashing as he launched his own snowball back at Riku—the silver-haired student didn't have time to duck before the ball struck the left side of his chest, knocking him back against the pillar.

"Ha! Gotcha!" Sora shouted in triumph, only to duck a moment later as Demyx appeared seemingly out of nowhere and threw a snowball at him. "Whoa!"

The next second, Kairi had joined the fight and thrown one at Demyx, forcing the junior to step around a pillar to avoid it as he hurriedly created another snowball. On the other side of the courtyard, Roxas was creeping around the edge of the ring of pillars in search of Namine. He managed to find her after only a few moments, flushing her out of her hiding place with a few well-aimed snowballs that had her sprinting across the open space in the center of the courtyard as the blond twin chased after her.

"Get 'er, Roxas!" Axel cheered from his place by Zexion, a safe twenty or so feet away from the courtyard where they could still see what was going on.

Even though he didn't let the senior distract him, Roxas felt his face grow warm just to know that the older boy had chosen to cheer for him. Just before Namine could doge behind one of the trees that grew outside the ring, he threw the snowball he had and managed to catch her hip, sliding to a stop in the snow to catch his breath. What he didn't realize was that he'd made himself vulnerable by stopping outside the cover of the pillars and bushes, and within a few seconds both Demyx and Riku had thrown snowballs at him. Fortunately for the blond, Sora grabbed him and pulled him out of the way to the safety provided by a pillar.

"Thanks," Roxas panted, out of breath from chasing Namine.

Sora tried to grin even though he was panting, too. "No problem. Time for our Freaky Twin Powers?"

Roxas nodded. "Definitely."

X

From his place between two pillars and surrounded by protective bushes, Riku peered towards where Sora and Roxas had disappeared, suspicious. It had gotten far too quiet. He knew Demyx and Namine had hidden again and were waiting for one of the other three students to present themselves, but it wasn't like Sora to sit in silence and do nothing. The brunet was more of the charge-headfirst-into-battle type of person, though Riku had to admit that he had his strategically clever moments, and with him and Roxas on the same team…who knew what those two would come up with.

"What are you up to, Brat?" he murmured to himself, then froze when a voice sounded from directly behind him.

"Oh, nothing." The next thing Riku knew, he felt a hand grab onto the back of his jacket and yank, pulling him off balance so that he fell onto his rear and dropped the snowball he'd been holding. Then the hand was joined by two more, which meant Sora wasn't alone, and Riku found himself pushed forward onto his stomach. A solid weight settled on his lower back before his clothes were pulled away from the back of his neck and a handful of snow wormed its way inside to press against the skin between his shoulder blades.

"Son of a bitch!" he shouted, struggling to push himself off the ground until a second weight settled itself on his legs so he could only move his arms, making it near impossible for him to break free. "Sora, get the hell off!"

Wiggling his fingers against the older boy's skin, Sora grinned and turned to look at where Roxas was pinning Riku's legs. "You think we should let him up, Rox?"

The blond returned his grin and shifted to a more comfortable position without letting Riku's legs go. "Nope."

"Well, there you have it, Riku. You're stuck down there until we decide to let you up."

A growl sounded in the back of Riku's throat and he shoved hard against the ground, managing to push his torso up a few inches, though Sora simply wrapped his arms around his neck and all but lay down on him.

"Relax, Riku," he purred into his friend's ear in that same tone he'd used during their first Slave-for-a-Day. "You did say the winner got to top."

"Who said you won?" Riku asked, irritated because the snow beneath him had started to melt and was soaking into his clothes, as had the snow Sora had put down the back of his shirt. He decided to ignore the shiver that went down his spine at what Sora had said.

"Well, Roxas and I have you pinned down, Namine still hasn't come out of the trees and Kairi's waiting for my signal to take out Demyx. So, unless you want your teammates to be massacred, you should probably give up.

Riku scoffed. "No way in hell, Brat."

"Have it your way, then." Lifting his head, Sora whistled a single high note, and split second later Demyx's voice could be heard yelling as Kairi began pelting him with the snowballs she'd prepared while waiting for Sora's signal. "Sounds like Demyx is all but out of the game," he commented before nuzzling Riku's cheek. "Come on, Riku. Give up so we can go inside and have hot cocoa and watch movies. It's the first day of Winter Break tomorrow. You can lose just this one time."

"Never," the older boy growled, even though the thought of curling up with a mug of cocoa to watch movies with the brunet sounded like a fantastic idea. They might even cuddle, though he didn't let himself get his hopes up for that. Besides, he was _not_ giving up. "How in the hell did you two even sneak up on me?"

Sora and Roxas exchanged a wink. "We used our Freaky Twin Powers, of course."

"What are Freaky Twin Powers?"

All three sophomores turned to look at this newest speaker to find that Hayner had noticed the commotion of their snowball fight and come over to investigate.

"Hi, Hayner!" Sora greeted, and the older blond grinned.

"Hey, Sora." Brown eyes turned to the other twin. "How's it going, Roxas?"

Roxas smiled, almost shy. "It's all right."

"That's good. So, why are you two sitting on Riku?"

"Because they've both got a death wish," Riku replied, and Hayner laughed before sticking his hand out to help Roxas up. The blond accepted, and as soon as his weight vanished from Riku's legs, the silver-haired sophomore pushed himself off the ground and climbed to his feet with Sora still clinging to him. His legs wrapped around Riku's waist to support the majority of his weight and his arms were already locked around the older boy's neck; Riku hooked his elbows under the younger boy's knees to help hold him up.

"Let's call it a tie, Brat. I'm soaked and it's freezing out here."

More comfortable than he would care to admit, Sora nodded before resting his cheek on Riku's shoulder. "Okay. Cocoa and movies?"

Riku smiled. "You bet. Namine! Demyx! Kairi! The game's over! You can come out now!"

Within moments, the two blonds and redhead appeared from their hiding places and joined the other students; Demyx waved Zexion and Axel over, immediately taking Zexion's hand when the senior was within reach.

"What's the plan?" Axel asked, grinning in a relaxed way. It was a question for everyone, but his gaze had landed on Roxas and had yet to shift, though the younger boy didn't appear to notice.

"Hot cocoa!" Sora answered him, his enthusiasm making Riku chuckle.

"And movies," his blond twin added. "We'll probably stay up really late." Remembering his manners, he turned to the newest arrival. "You're welcome to come, too, Hayner."

Smiling, Hayner nodded. "That'd be great, thanks."

Axel's eyes slid over to examine this newcomer, recognizing all too easily the interest in Hayner's expression as he looked at Roxas. An uncomfortable feeling settled in his stomach to see the shy way Roxas smiled back at the junior and his grin faded. "Actually, I'm not feeling so well. I think I'm just gonna go to bed."

Concerned blue eyes turned to him and he quickly looked downwards to hide what was really wrong. "Are you all right?" Roxas asked, and Axel nodded.

"Yeah, I'm sure I'm fine. Just tired and getting a headache. I'll see you guys later." Without waiting for a response, the redhead turned and started off towards the senior dorm hall as the rest of the students watched.

"I hope he's okay," Roxas said quietly after several moments, and Hayner patted his shoulder in a friendly way.

"I'm sure he's fine. It's probably just a little too cold out for him."

Grateful, Roxas offered a small smile to the brown-eyed junior. "So, movies in my and Sora's room?"

A round of affirmations confirmed the plan, and, with Riku still carrying Sora on his back, the eight friends began the short walk to the freshman dorm hall with the intent of gorging themselves on hot cocoa—most likely with mini marshmallows—and popcorn while watching movies and staying up much too late for no other reason than that they could.


	41. Chapter 41

There was no reason for him to be surprised. He wasn't, really, but that didn't mean he wasn't unhappy about it anyway. Someone else had taken an interest in Roxas and Axel was driving himself crazy thinking about it. Even worse, it was that Hayner kid and while Axel didn't know the junior particularly well, he'd been going to the same school as him long enough to know that Hayner would be good to Roxas. That wasn't something he wanted to admit, but he knew that Hayner was probably a better match for the blond sophomore than Axel was. Really, they were closer in age and the junior was carefree and energetic, if not a little moody at times. And it seemed he'd already made a good impression with Roxas, judging by the way he'd smiled at the older boy.

_Face it, Axe. Hayner's better for Roxas than you are. He's better by a long shot. Think about it. Larxene would leave him alone if he started seeing someone, which means she'd stop bugging you so much, too. Hayner probably hasn't gotten him in trouble for sending notes, and I really doubt he got drunk and tried to make out with him at a party._

The junior seemed to have every advantage over Axel at this point, even though he'd made considerable progress with becoming Roxas' friend lately. His brain told him it was for the best, his stomach was pissed about it. And his heart may as well have been a child with his hands over his ears going, "Lalala I can't hear you!" He didn't want to admit that it would be better for everyone if Roxas chose Hayner. Well, better for everyone except the immature creature his heart had become.

"Axel, quit your sulking before I throw my chemistry book at you." Zexion appeared beside the redhead's bed, his hands on his hips as he scowled at his roommate. "What are you so moody about? It's winter break—usually you're at a party by now."

He regarded the blue-haired boy for a moment before turning onto his side so his back was to him. "Nothing."

Only a second passed before something large and hard made contact with his hip—apparently, Zexion hadn't been kidding about using his chemistry book as a weapon—but Axel merely winced a little. It hadn't been a very hard hit and it certainly wasn't enough to get him to admit out loud how upset he was about this whole Hayner-Roxas-thing.

"Axel."

"What?"

"If you think I'm going to drop this after the way you forced me to tell you about Demyx, then you're a moron. Now roll over and tell the truth." Without bothering to wait for permission, Zexion sat on the bed and smacked his roommate's thigh to get him to scoot over and make room. "Spill it."

Sighing and now more than a little annoyed, Axel sat up and gave his roommate an irritated look. "You're just going to call me an idiot."

"You don't know that."

"Yeah, I do. Because you're you, and up until you started to like Demyx, you thought the entire range of human emotion was nothing more than a waste of time and a distraction from your studies. Unless that kid has completely turned you around, you're just going to tell me I'm being stupid for getting worked up about it."

To be fair, both seniors knew he was right about how Zexion had viewed crushes and, well, _emotions _up until he'd fallen for Demyx. But by no means did that deter the blue-haired senior. "I don't care. I want to know why you're upset."

"God, you're such a—fine." Slouching against his headboard, Axel crossed his arms over his chest and glared at his lap. "Roxas might like someone else."

Zexion looked mildly surprised, which Axel hadn't been expecting. "Who?"

"That junior, Hayner."

"Oh." Understanding lit the blue eye that was visible. "Is that why you didn't want to go over to their room and watch movies? You were too jealous?"

"I didn't want to have to sit there and watch them flirt."

"Axel, they didn't flirt. At all."

Disbelief and hope came together in a strange mixture in Axel's stomach and he sat up a little straighter. "They didn't?"

"No. They joked around and I'd believe they'll be good friends. Hayner was a little bit flirtatious a few times but Roxas didn't flirt back and he seemed embarrassed about it. Besides, wouldn't it have made more sense for you to go and make it clear that you like Roxas? It might have made Hayner back off." Zexion tried to sound as comforting and reassuring as he could because he knew that if he didn't cheer Axel up now, the redhead would spend his entire winter break holed up in their room worrying about this.

It was quiet as Axel considered what his roommate had said, then he began nodding and sat up all the way. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right. Roxas knows I like him and we're working things out. I shouldn't be worried about Hayner getting in the way of things."

The other senior allowed himself a small grin. "Exactly. Besides, you're a senior, and this other kid's only a junior. Heaven knows you have plenty of experience with dating so you could probably be a better boyfriend than him, and it's not like you aren't capable of charming your way into Roxas' heart now that you've actually become friends with him." Maybe it was a little much to pump Axel's ego up the way he was, but the redhead needed all the support he could get after the trouble he'd already gone through in order to gain Roxas' affections. If he hadn't known how far Miss Larxene was willing to go to get her way and how much Axel liked the sophomore, Zexion might have decided Roxas wasn't worth Axel's time. As it was, he got the feeling that Axel might need a little extra push if he was going to make significant progress with the blond before graduation in the spring.

"Right! As long as that bitch Larxene doesn't convince him I worship the devil or something, winning him over should be easy." His mood now lifted by tenfold, Axel stretched out on his bed and tucked his hands under his head. "Thanks for the pep talk, Zex."

"No problem." His mission accomplished, Zexion got up and went back to his own side of the room to continue packing for the flight home in the morning.

Students could either stay on campus for the three weeks of winter break or go home—Zexion was going home for reasons he refused to share. Axel had, as usual, opted to stay on campus rather than spend three weeks with his parents.

"You going over to Demyx's tonight?"

Zexion didn't look up. "Yes, and I'm sure he'll try to convince me to stay for break, but I can't. Regardless, I do want to spend time with him before I leave."

A smirk took over Axel's features. "That's good. Just don't do anything I wouldn't do."

It was not hard to turn around and throw the shoe he was holding at his roommate, but he managed to resist. Still, he disliked the suggestive tone Axel had used—it wasn't as if Zexion had said anything that hinted at plans to sleep with the junior. And even if that had been his intent, it wasn't any of Axel's business. Not that he had plans to sleep with Demyx any time in the near future. They hadn't been dating long enough and besides, the blond was far too innocent. Just thinking about…_that_…made Zexion feel dirty.

"We both know there's little chance of me ever being that careless," he replied in as calm a tone as he could, and the redhead across the room laughed.

"I dunno, Zex. That kid's bringing out a side of you that might get carried away."

"I highly doubt that." But he knew Axel was at least partially right about that. Demyx was certainly changing the way he looked at things. That didn't mean he was going to get carried away, though.

Well, maybe he'd be extra careful, just in case.

XXX

Namine tucked her hair behind her ear as she leaned down to peer over Kairi's shoulder at the screen of the redhead's laptop. "What are you working on? It's Winter Break—we don't have any homework."

A giggle escaped the typing teenager. "This isn't homework. It's more important than that."

Her curiosity getting the best of her, Namine allowed herself to read a few lines. The moment she realized what it was that Kairi was writing, her face turned red and her mouth fell open slightly.

"Kairi! Why are you writing that?!"

"Because I'm going to email it to him. Sort of like a Christmas present."

The blonde couldn't believe how reckless her cousin was behaving. "But, he's a teacher! You could get in trouble! You could get expelled, and your mom and dad—"

"I'm not going to get expelled," Kairi cut her off, "because he's not going to turn me in. Trust me, he'd rather be fired than admit I've been writing these things about him."

"'_Been writing'?_ Kairi, how many of these have you given him?"

Kairi shrugged. "Only a couple. The first one was just to test him. Now, it's for fun."

"How on earth is _this_ fun?"

Turning in her chair, Kairi looked up at her blonde cousin with a surprisingly serious expression. "It's fun because I've finally found a challenge, Mi-Mi. Everyone knows how much I like to flirt. But I'm tired of these silly boys who trip all over themselves to make me smile just because they think I'm pretty and they want to sleep with me."

"But won't writing this stuff make him want to sleep with you?" Namine gestured at the laptop on Kairi's desk, frowning. "How is this any different from flirting with boys our age?"

"Because he's _not_ our age, and I know that he isn't willing to risk his job just to have sex with a student," Kairi explained, her gaze shifting from Namine to her laptop. "If he decides to try to have a relationship with me despite the fact that we could both get in trouble, then it's because of more than pure physical attraction." She looked up at Namine again and smiled a little. "I'm tired of boys, Mi-Mi. If I'm going to date someone, I want it to be something long term, not just a few weeks. Professor Luxord is a lot older than us and maybe that bugs some people but _I like him._ He's handsome and intelligent and even a little arrogant, yet somehow I manage to get him flustered. I know you understand, Mi-Mi. Don't tell me you don't."

Namine regarded her cousin for a moment then sighed quietly. "Yeah, I understand." She cast a dubious glance at the computer screen. "But I still don't think it's a good idea to send him that."

"Maybe it isn't a good idea. But I'm doing it anyway."

As Kairi went back to typing away on her laptop, Namine resigned herself to be prepared to deal with the potential consequences of the other girl's actions. There could be hell over that email, but if Kairi was willing to risk expulsion then she obviously meant business in her pursuit of their history professor. In any case, Namine was in no position to judge her.

XXX

They were cuter than he'd expected. He almost didn't want to wake them, but it was past noon and if they didn't get up soon then their stomachs would wake them with unpleasant hunger pains. Really, he would be doing them a favor. Right?

Hesitating, Roxas stood beside his twin's bed and looked down at the two figures huddled together under the blankets. Riku had ended up staying over after movies and cocoa the night before and he and Sora had stayed up later than anyone else, which meant they were sleeping in a lot later than everyone else, too. Unsurprisingly, they'd opted to share Sora's bed and consequently Roxas was the one to wake up and find them all but wrapped around each other. They hadn't done anything—he definitely would have woken up and been decidedly grumpy about it—but they were certainly cuddling to the point of fusing their bodies together. He was actually having a little bit of trouble telling whose limbs were whose. And hell, it was one of the cutest things he'd ever seen.

Sora was curled up almost into a ball, his head tucked under Riku's chin as the older boy held him protectively. They had their arms wrapped around each other and the blankets were tangled around them so they probably couldn't have moved away from each other without actually getting up. Roxas really didn't want to disturb them—they were still sound asleep and really they'd be embarrassed about sleeping the way they were—but he couldn't shake the feeling that he should before they slept until evening and completely ruined their sleep schedules.

His mind made up, Roxas took a breath before reaching out to touch his twin's shoulder. "Sora, wake up. You've been sleeping all day."

The only response he got was a few mumbled words that sounded vaguely like, "I don't want any," before the brunet sighed and attempted to shift even closer to the boy sleeping beside him. On the inside, Roxas cooed a little and wished he could just let them sleep like that forever. But there was no way he was going to show that or let it get in the way of doing what he needed to do.

"Sora." He gripped his brother's shoulder and shook him gently. "I mean it, it's time to get up. You can't sleep the whole day away."

This time, one of Sora's blue eyes cracked open to peer up at him. "Wha' time izzit?"

"Almost two in the afternoon. How late did you guys stay up?"

Shifting, Sora yawned and stretched, apparently oblivious about being so close to Riku. "I dunno…late…"

Roxas had to hold back a grin when Riku let out a disgruntled mutter and shoved his head into Sora's chest, making the brunet blush and awkwardly stroke the older boy's hair.

"I don't think Riku's ready to get up yet," he told his blond twin, looking embarrassed.

"Too bad. It's time to get up, but I'll let you take care of waking your grumpy cuddle buddy."

That made Sora's face turn a dark shade of red, but he didn't argue. There was little point in denying that he and Riku had in fact become cuddle buddies, as embarrassing as that sounded, and he found himself wanting to simply go back to sleep once Roxas had moved away. After all, Riku still seemed tired and he looked so peaceful while he was asleep. Smiling a little, Sora brushed his fingers through the older boy's bangs then over his cheek, not noticing the way Riku's lips twitched as if he was trying not to smile.

"We really should get up, Riku." Despite the words, Sora was whispering as he settled comfortably and curled himself into the still-sleeping athlete; he felt Riku's arms tighten around him just slightly and chuckled. "Roxas'll get mad if we stay in bed all day."

"…don't care…"

It was kind of adorable and Sora couldn't believe he'd never seen this side of his friend before. As unexpected as it was for Riku to suddenly act the way he was, Sora was glad he got to see him like this. He liked that Riku trusted him enough to let his guard down, even if it was just because of how tired he was.

Throwing caution to the winds, the brunet placed a hand on his friend's cheek then pressed a light kiss to Riku's forehead. "Come on, sleepy head. I'm hungry and I bet you are, too." When he pulled away again, teal eyes were looking up at him and he blushed again, though he wasn't sure why. Riku didn't move, his eyes locked on Sora's face and full of an emotion that the younger boy couldn't read. There was a little bit of surprise, he thought, probably at the fact that Sora had kissed his forehead, but the rest was a mystery.

Ever so slowly, one of Riku's arms abandoned Sora's waist and made its way up until the silver-haired boy's hand was cupped around the other's cheek. His face warm with a darkening blush, Sora allowed his chin to be tilted down so that Riku could return the affectionate gesture.

"Riku…"

"Yeah?"

He was going to say it. He was going to admit that he liked him. So what if Roxas was in the room—the blond already knew—and this was the most tender moment he'd ever shared with the older boy. He _wanted_ to tell Riku the truth and now was as good a moment as any.

"I…" Oh, god, what if Riku rejected him? What if he _laughed?_ It would be so typical of the older athlete to make a joke out of it and tease him for the entirety of winter break. Sora lowered his eyes as his momentary courage faded. "Never mind."

A heavy sigh from across the room drew the attention of both Sora and Riku, and the two looked in time to see Roxas quickly occupy himself organizing his desk. Embarrassed now, Sora freed himself from Riku's lingering embrace and sat up so he could stretch more fully as his stomach rumbled unhappily.

"We missed lunch," he remarked, and Riku nodded as he slowly got to his feet.

"Yeah, but we can have noodles or something small so we don't ruin our appetites for dinner in a few hours."

Nodding, the brunet looked past his friend to find Roxas looking at him. It was obvious that his twin was a little disappointed, and Sora immediately knew it was because he'd chickened out of telling Riku that he liked him.

"Sorry," he mouthed, and Roxas shrugged as a way of saying that maybe now just wasn't the right time. That didn't really make Sora feel any better. It seemed like it was never the right time, and he worried that if he waited too long, something would happen to get in the way. He was determined to do it before classes started again in January, though. For sure, by then, he'd have found the perfect opportunity. Hopefully.


	42. Chapter 42

Quiet knocking captured Marluxia's attention and he glanced at his watch without putting down the paper he'd been looking over. It was later than he'd realized—they were right on time.

Standing, the art instructor abandoned his desk and moved to open the door to the classroom; he smiled.

"Hello, girls. Thank you for coming."

From her place at the front of their small group, Kairi smiled up at the teacher. "Of course, Mister Marluxia."

The teacher returned her smile before he let his gaze move onto the other two students who were standing just behind Kairi. One was Ariel, an energetic redhead with a beautiful voice—Marluxia was sure she was destined for fame with that voice. And next to Ariel was one of his favorite students, the pale blonde called Namine. She had her head lowered so he couldn't see that crystalline blue color of her eyes. It disappointed him. She had such lovely eyes and it was a shame that she was too shy to show them off more.

But now wasn't the time to think about that, so Marluxia stepped to the side and gestured for the three students to enter the classroom. "Namine, your artwork is in the storage room next to my office."

With a nod, the blonde silently moved off in the direction of the storage room to get her things. Leaning against the wall where they were safely out of the way were her two pieces from the show during the concert as well as the final project she'd turned in earlier that week. To her delight, Mister Marluxia had loved it, just as she'd hoped he would. Working from memory, she'd painted several of the flowers found on campus in the warmer months, softly lit and sparkling with diamond-like dew drops. Just the way they'd been that morning when she went for a walk with Roxas. Namine thought it had come out rather well.

"I was impressed that you remembered enough detail to paint that so well."

Startled out of her examination of the piece, Namine turned and blushed to see Mister Marluxia standing in the doorway. "Thank you, sir," she replied quietly, looking down at her boots once more.

Marluxia smiled a little. "Please, Namine, we're not in class and this is an informal meeting. You may call me simply Marluxia for the duration of Winter Break."

"Yes…Marluxia…"

It was surprisingly pleasant to hear her say his name without the "Mister" tacked onto it. Even though she wouldn't look at him and sounded unnecessarily nervous about speaking to him so informally, it was nice.

She really was very pretty, and exceptionally talented. From day one he'd known that, and he wouldn't deny that he'd been a bit flattered at her first choice of project. Anyone would have been. Besides, there was nothing wrong with being flattered when a student chose to use him as the focus of a project. It was a great compliment and Namine's skill had only made it better.

_Say something to her. This silence has lasted for too long and if you don't then she'll be gone in a few minutes. Talk to her._

Turning, the pink-haired teacher allowed Namine to leave the storage room then followed her, pulling the door shut as he did. Once they left the small hallway in favor of the space of the classroom, he looked at her out of the corner of his eye while she watched Kairi and Ariel looking over several play scripts.

"Do you have plans for after you graduate high school, Namine?"

"What?" The blonde looked up at him in mild surprise then seemed to shrink back slightly as if afraid of making eye contact. "Oh, yes. I want to attend an art institute, though I'm not sure which ones to apply to."

Marluxia smiled a little. "I'm sure whichever school you choose would be glad to have you. You're a wonderful artist."

A blush colored Namine's cheeks and she shuffled her booted feet. "Thank you, Mis—I mean, thank you, Marluxia."

How had he not noticed how shy she was before this very moment? He'd known she was quiet and polite, but seeing her be truly shy was…it made him feel strange. If he was forced to label her, he would have to call her a word similar to "precious" or "endearing." She was definitely both of those words. It would be easy to put this into music, into harmonies and melodies, dynamics swelling to sink into soft flutes just before they broke into full fortissimo. The flutes would be the dominant instrument. And chimes. Or violins, depending. Soft, beautiful, delicate. Like Namine was.

_Beautiful? I didn't even use that word to describe Demyx. He was…cute. Loveable. Innocent and naïve to be sure, and he is definitely attractive, but not _beautiful._ Why is Namine beautiful to me?_

This was something he was going to have to investigate further.

X

It wasn't supposed to be possible for business to be this slow. Seriously. How did Yuffie keep this place open year-round if she had so few customers during the winter? Not that Sora was complaining—he liked working for the black-haired woman and was glad to have a job because his next paycheck would mean he'd earned enough money to buy an Ipod without spending every cent to his name. But, on days like today, he couldn't help but think of the multitude of other things he would rather be doing than sitting behind the front counter while it snowed heavily outside, waiting for customers that would never come.

Sighing heavily, the brunet crossed his arms over the counter's surface and rested his chin on them, watching the snow fall. He still had over an hour of his shift left. All the cleaning was done for the day because he'd had no customers to deal with and Yuffie hadn't made an appearance since she'd told him he could take his lunch break. That had been almost three hours ago. What she did in that back room was a mystery to him, but sometimes he thought she was forging new weapons to sell. Occasionally, he would come into the shop and something new would be on display, and he had yet to see any packages being delivered or hear Yuffie mention something about new merchandise coming in, so his theory was plausible. It was hard to imagine the delicate-looking woman wielding the sort of tools it took to make the weapons she sold in her shop, but Sora knew that his boss was a lot tougher than she looked. She was probably tougher than he was.

If something didn't happen soon, Sora was pretty convinced that he might become one with the counter. He'd just sort of melt and be absorbed into it and end up in the shop for the rest of eternity. Desperate, he slipped his phone out of his pocket—even though he wasn't technically supposed to text on the clock—and unlocked it to find a message waiting for him.

_ What're you doing after work?_

The desire to sass the older boy just a little was too strong to resist.

_ Nothing, why, are you going to tell me you own my Saturdays now, too?_

_ No, but seeing as you're my friend, I figured we could hang out. Aren't you are work? I don't think you're supposed to be texting right now._

_ You texted me first and you know I'm at work, genius._

_ I'm not forcing you to text, you know. I just wanted to know if you're busy later._

_ Roxas and I are having a brothers' night but I'm free tomorrow._

Sora cast a nervous glance towards the back room to make sure that Yuffie wasn't about to appear out of nowhere and bust him for texting on the job even though he had literally nothing to do. Even if she did catch him, he doubted he'd get in trouble for it. Yuffie seemed pretty relaxed so far.

His phone buzzed against his palm and he unlocked it to see a reply from Riku.

_ Then let's hang out tomorrow._

The thought of spending a whole day in Riku's dorm with him made the brunet smile, mostly because he didn't have to worry about being a slave again, and after the short conversation he'd had with the older boy just before their snowball fight he hadn't gotten uncomfortable even once. It hadn't been that long, but he was still glad to not have to worry about their flirting getting out of hand, and he was smiling when he typed a quick response.

_ Sounds great._

X

Luxord couldn't believe what he was reading. There was no way she'd gone this far. And yet the proof was staring him in the face, illuminated on the screen of his laptop as the device rested on his stomach. He was stretched out on the couch in his living room, sock-covered feet propped up on one of the armrests. The TV was on but he wasn't paying even the slightest attention to it because all of his focus was locked onto the email he'd just opened. Sure, the subject line read, "Don't be lonely," and he'd recognized the email address of the sender as being that of a student, but he'd figured it was going to be one of those cheerful Christmas forwarded emails that he usually glanced at before deleting.

That had not been even close to what it really was.

This was _not_ a Christmas forward. He hadn't even moved since he'd started reading, first out of shock and now because he was too focused to bother. In reality, this email was yet another story from Kairi, and even though he knew that he should stop reading, knew that he should just delete it and forget about the whole thing, he couldn't tear his gaze away from the words. It was surprisingly well written, though it shouldn't have been surprising that Kairi would write something so…_provocative_ and yet have perfect spelling and grammar throughout the entire thing.

The first one had left him dumb-founded and he hadn't read very much of it. The second one had made him so curious that he couldn't help himself. Now this third one had caught him off-guard and he almost couldn't believe she'd gone through so much trouble.

And he'd been surprised.  
>He couldn't figure out how on earth Kairi knew how to write this way. Where had she seen this in order to learn? He imagined her sitting at her desk trying to look up how to write this way on the internet. She had probably been nervous at first, and he could easily imagine that she had been embarrassed.<p>

That would have been amusing to see. Just to witness the seemingly unflappable Kairi blush and become flustered would have been priceless. She had been enjoying her game so far and Luxord knew that he hadn't always done a very good job of acting like he wasn't affected by her. Seeing _her_ caught off-guard and unsure would definitely have made him feel better.

Now finished reading the email, the blond professor moved it into his "Personal" folder rather than deleting it; it might come in handy later. That hadn't exactly been the way he thought he was going to spend his afternoon, and he decided that he didn't really mind.

_She's taking this more seriously than I expected. Perhaps I ought to find out more about her motives. There has to be something she wants from me if she's willing to go this far._

Closing his laptop, Luxord sat up and placed it on the coffee table. His apartment was unusually clean for a Saturday afternoon, though considering that it was now winter break he supposed some of the other teachers had chosen to travel for the holiday. He was one of the few that decided to remain on campus—why on earth would he want his break to be taken up by traveling and stress? No, he intended to spend the next three weeks holed up in his apartment to watch TV, read, sleep and all-in-all relax. It was how he spent all of his breaks and he didn't see any reason to change it. These emails gave him an idea that was rather enticing, though. Maybe this year, his break would go a just little differently.

X

Half full glass held delicately in one slim-fingered hand, Larxene sipped the wine she had chosen. The lights were off, the room illuminated only by the flatscreen TV as she lounged on her sofa. She enjoyed watching this particular home movie and silently congratulated herself for thinking to make two copies. The first, of course, had gone to the Headmaster as payment, but she had kept this one for herself.

There was nothing quite as gratifying as watching herself show Axel who he belonged to.

Unfortunately, the thought that she didn't have as much control over the senior as she wanted nagged at the back of her mind. He was still interested in the blond kid despite all of her attempts at showing him that she was the only one worth his time.

_That little brat. He doesn't know who he's dealing with. And after Axel's brave little show to stand up for him, he's even closer to kid. I'm going to have to try something else to separate them before Roxas decides to ignore what I told him and gets friendlier than I would like._

It was not a favorable situation. She'd seen the two of them sitting together at Marluxia's concert and she didn't like it one bit—Axel had been more excited than she'd seen him in a long time, and that irritated her to no ends. Why couldn't he act like that when _she_ was around, like he had before? What was so special about Roxas?

She took another sip of her wine and smiled slightly at what was playing on her TV. In all honesty, she was proud of how well she'd controlled the senior that afternoon. As defiant as Axel was, she could still get him to obey her every command, and it had been one of the best days of the semester. It was something she definitely planned on doing again, especially since Xemnas seemed to have accepted her payment. Maybe next time she'd make it a bit more exciting for the golden-eyed man to watch. This first time had been satisfactory, of course, but Larxene had never liked to do things the same way twice.

_But how to get rid of the brat? He's getting too close to Axel and I want him out of the picture. I still have his file, and his brat brother's. Maybe I'll try stirring up some trouble between them once classes begin in January._

This plan wasn't all that detailed, but she had three weeks to figure out what exactly she wanted to do. Besides, it would be worth it if she managed to claim Axel as her own once again.

X

It was a really good thing that Demyx didn't have a roommate. Currently, he had Zexion on his back on the bed while he straddled the senior's waist. They were both shirtless and Demyx's jeans had come unbuttoned at some point; Zexion's hand had found its way beneath the fabric and was cupping the blond's rear, rubbing and occasionally giving a little squeeze to make the junior squirm. After a particularly teasing squeeze, Demyx broke the deep kiss they'd been sharing and nuzzled his cheek against the older boy's, panting lightly.

"You know I don't like teasing," he mumbled, cheeks flushed, as Zexion's unoccupied hand began stroking up and down his exposed back.

The older boy chuckled quietly. "And you know I like teasing you."

Fingers curling into the blankets, Demyx bit his lip and hesitated. There was something he wanted to ask about, something he wanted to do, but he wasn't sure how to go about it. But he had to. If he didn't, then Zexion might lose interest in him. He might go home for the holidays and meet some sexy guy and fall in love with him and then when he came back he wouldn't want anything to do with Demyx anymore. And the blond didn't think he would be able to handle that, so he had to do this.

"Um…Zexion…?"

"Hm?" Occupied with placing soft kisses on the younger boy's shoulder and his hand still firmly placed on Demyx's backside, Zexion didn't notice the nervous tone his name had been said in.

"Can…can I be on bottom?"

Images similar to his memory of the first time he'd had oral sex with the junior flashed through Zexion's mind and he grinned slightly. "Of course, little lark. Was there something specific you wanted?"

Demyx's face turned an even darker shade of red as he swung his leg off the senior and lay back comfortably. Within moments, Zexion was hovering over him, leaving kisses on his throat and chest.

"W-well…yeah…"

This time, he caught the nervous tone and looked up to meet the younger boy's gaze. "Are you all right, Demyx? You seem uncomfortable."

"F-fine."

That was obviously a lie. Why Demyx was lying to him, Zexion didn't know, but he didn't like it one little bit. Sitting up, he smiled down at the blond reassuringly but still with concern in his expression. "Dem, tell me what's wrong."

"Nothing's wrong, I just don't know how to ask." His face was burning up with embarrassment even though the lights were off and Zexion couldn't really see it.

"Ask for what?" the senior pressed, his concern growing stronger. Demyx hadn't been this shy towards him in a long time, if ever.

"Um…" He hesitated before reaching up to wrap his arms around Zexion's neck and pull the older boy down into a kiss. It was all he could think to do, and when Zexion started kissing back, he purposefully arched his body against the senior's.

"Make love to me."

The words were quieter than a whisper and Zexion wouldn't have heard them if he hadn't been so close to the blond. Nevertheless, it caught him so completely by surprise that he didn't respond right away. When the words registered in his mind, he broke this kiss and quickly sat up, staring down at Demyx with astonished blue eyes.

"What?"

His nerves made it difficult to speak up; his throat felt tight. "I…I want to make love with you, Zexion." God, it was the most embarrassing thing he'd ever had to admit and he doubted he would ever say anything more embarrassing in the future.

"Demyx." He resisted the urge to reach out and smooth back those bits of hair that always seemed to fall over the junior's forehead. "Are you sure? We haven't been dating for very long. We only just did oral earlier this week. I don't think we're ready for sex."

It was hard to keep from sounding afraid. "But I want to. I really, really like you, Zexion, and I know you won't hurt me. I promise, I'm ready."

He didn't sound nearly as sure as he was saying and Zexion couldn't shake the feeling that this was way too early in their relationship for such a big step. Yes, he liked Demyx. A lot. And he would certainly never do anything to hurt him, but sex? Already?

"What brought this on, Dem?"

The blond fidgeted nervously, looking away from Zexion as he mumbled, "Well, you're leaving tomorrow, and…and I don't want you to fall for someone else while you're gone…so I thought if we had sex or made love or whatever you want to call it, then I wouldn't have to worry about that."

It was such a ridiculous reason to want to have sex that Zexion almost laughed. Almost.

"Demyx, that's not going to happen. Yes, I'm going home for break, but I'm not going to meet anyone who will catch my eye the way you did, okay?" He smiled and kissed the blond's nose. "I lo—I really, really, really like you. You're my boyfriend. I'm not going to break up with you over some person I barely know, so you don't have to worry."

Lying down, he pulled Demyx into a hug and rubbed the younger boy's back as Demyx nuzzled into his shoulder.

"I like you enough that I want to…make love…with you, Dem. But I don't want it to be because you feel like sex is the only way to keep me interested in you. I like _you._ If all I wanted was sex, then I'd have let you suck me off in the study room the day I introduced myself."

Demyx's face heated at the reminder of what he'd tried to do that day—it was shameful and embarrassing, but he didn't try to make excuses for himself. He'd been attracted to Zexion and didn't know any better way to show it. "Yeah…I guess you're right…."

A smile tugged at the corner of Zexion's mouth and he hugged the blond a little tighter. "Of course I am. Now, since we've decided that we're not ready for sex, what would you like to do?" Enticingly, he placed a feather-light kiss just behind the junior's ear. Demyx shivered slightly.

"I want to suck you off," he whispered back, doing his best to sound sultry and seductive to replace the seriousness of the conversation they'd just had—judging by the way Zexion pulled him even closer, he'd done a good job.

"I'm not going to complain about that, little lark."

Demyx couldn't help but grin a little—Zexion really wasn't going anywhere over break.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

I'm so sorry I missed last week's update! Classes just started on Monday and I was busy with band and moving all of last week so I was too busy and too tired to do much writing. So I hope this chapter is everything you hoped for—I tried to cover as many of them as I could—and that you can forgive me. I will do my absolute very best to have next week's chapter up on time. Thanks for reading!


	43. Chapter 43

He took the elevator this time, relaxed and comfortable in jeans, a T-shirt depicting his favorite Struggle champion, and a winter coat. Although it was warm enough inside that he took the coat off and simply held it in addition to his bag, which, for once, wasn't weighed down with school books. There was no homework to worry about, after all.

A ding sounded as the elevator slowly came to a stop. The doors opened to reveal a hallway that was quickly becoming familiar, and he made his way to the correct door without hesitation. He barely had time to knock before the door opened to reveal the room's occupant.

"Hey!"

Roxas smiled, a little shy. "Hi, Axel."

The redhead grinned and stepped aside so the younger boy could go past him into the dorm room, then shut the door behind him. "Thanks for coming. I get really bored when Zexion goes home."

"I can believe that." Blue eyes surveyed the room—it was nearly spotless, which made him think that Axel had cleaned it just this morning. "Did you clean today, Axel?"

"Uh," he could hear the slight embarrassment in the senior's tone, "yeah, I figured it should be clean if we're gonna hang out in here. No one wants to spend their day in a messy room."

"I wouldn't mind." The blond turned and smiled at the senior. "Your room is yours, you don't have to clean just because I'm coming over. It was a nice gesture, though."

Pleased by the almost compliment he'd just been given, Axel quit rubbing the back of his neck and grinned again. "I'll keep that in mind. So, what d'you wanna do? This is the first time you've come over without needing to study."

That was true. There were no schoolbooks or notes in Roxas' bag, just a notebook he doodled in when he was bored, and a disc binder full of his DVDs. He didn't much feel like watching a movie, though, and he'd spent the entire previous evening/night playing videogames with Sora, so he didn't want to do that, either.

"I thought we could just talk. You know, get to know each other a little better," he suggested, keeping his expression and tone calm even though he was slightly nervous about actually getting to know the senior he'd had so much trouble with over the semester.

A smile that, surprisingly, lacked the senior's usual hint of a smirk spread over Axel's face and he nodded eagerly. "Sure."

"Great." Lowering his bag to the floor, Roxas settled comfortably on the redhead's bed, leaning back against the wall. He patted the spot next to him in invitation and Axel wasted no time in occupying the space.

"So, whaddya wanna talk about?"

"Um…" Roxas' eyes drifted over the specially cleaned dorm room in search of a topic. "We could play 20 Questions."

"You mean, just sit here and think up lame questions to ask each other until we can't think of anything else to ask?"

Roxas couldn't help but smile a little at the way Axel described the suggested game. "Yeah, pretty much. For generic questions, though, we should both have to answer."

"All right." The redhead leaned back against the wall and stretched his legs out so his feet hung off the side of the bed. "You go first."

"Favorite color."

The older boy rolled his eyes and grinned. "Oh, we're starting with the really lame questions. Okay. My favorite color…" Then he paused, his grin morphing in a confused sort of frown as if all of a sudden he couldn't actually remember what his favorite color was. "Um, red. My favorite color is red. Yours?"

"I like black and white checkers."

"That's not a color."

"So? Your turn."

Even though he wasn't entirely prepared to drop the fact that Roxas had answered with a pattern rather than a color, Axel didn't push it. "Best childhood memory."

"Probably the time Sora and I snuck a cat onto a cruise ship and it got out of our room."

"Why did you sneak a cat onto a cruise ship?"

Shrugging, the blond let a small smile appear on his lips. "We were about eight, I think, and Sora found this mangy old cat on the docks while we were waiting to board the ship. Naturally, we decided that it was our new pet and that it needed to come on the cruise with us. When our parents weren't looking, we hid the poor thing his backpack and gave it some cheerios to eat so it wouldn't make any noise and give us away. Everything would have been fine if our dad hadn't left the door to our room open. The moment we unzipped Sora's bag, that cat flew out like its tail was on fire and headed straight for the door. We spent the entire trip trying to find it without telling our parents what we did so we wouldn't get in trouble. We never did manage to find it, but I like to think one of the workers on the ship adopted it."

"Nice," the older boy chuckled. "Mine…well, my nanny took me to this park once, when I was really little. I don't remember where it was, but it was during the summer and my parents were busy working all day. That was the best park I've ever seen. She brought food so we had a picnic for lunch, and we stayed at that park until the sun was going down and it was almost my bedtime." He smiled a little self-mockingly. "Not very exciting, but probably one of the best days I've ever had."

"It sounds perfect," Roxas assured him quietly. It made him a little sad to think that Axel's best day hadn't involved his parents or a sibling, but he didn't want to point that out and make things awkward. "What's your favorite smell?"

"Smell? Hmm…I don't know. I really like the smell of match smoke right after you blow out the flame. That's a great smell."

"Oh, yeah, that is a great smell."

Axel looked at the blond sitting next to him and smiled a little. "Yours?"

Looking back at the senior out of the corner of his eye, Roxas took a moment to consider the possible answers. "I think I'd have to say…the smell of the ocean. When it's a sunny day and the wind is really coming in off the water. That's my favorite."

"Cool." He didn't say it, but he could easily picture the younger boy standing on the beach, his toes buried in the sand as the wind ruffled his hair. "Your turn."

This time, Roxas hesitated before asking. "Why did you get drunk at that party? When you kissed me?"

Green eyes lowered and Axel fidgeted. "I was…trying to drown my sorrows, I guess. I know it was a stupid thing to do, and I'm really, _really_ sorry about kissing you and everything, but I don't have a real excuse."

Roxas nodded. "I understand."

"Yeah."

Silence ensued, until Axel forced a smile. "What's your favorite late night snack?"

"Triple layer nachos with mozzarella and cheddar cheese."

"Throw some hot salsa on that and it'd be perfect for me," Axel commented, pleased that his favorite midnight snack was almost identical to Roxas'.

A small smile appeared. "Then we'll have to hang out and have nachos together some night."

Axel couldn't help but smirk. "Are you saying you want to sleep over in my dorm?"

The suggestive tone made Roxas blush slightly. "You say that like it means something more than a shared plate of nachos."

He managed to keep from saying something sexual, which was rather impressive for him, actually. "Well, you never know. Who's turn is it?"

"Mine. What's your worst nightmare?"

"You mean, what was the worst nightmare I ever had?"

Roxas nodded, looking up at the senior as he waited for an answer.

"Hm…once, a few years back, I dreamed that I was kidnapped and trapped in this really creepy basement. You know, the classic cement walls, floor and ceiling with the single light bulb and the constant sound of dripping water that you can never figure out where it's coming from. The guy who grabbed me was some businessman that wanted to get back at my parents who I'd met briefly. He didn't give me very much food and if I tried to escape or yelled at him, he'd beat the shit out of me. I was powerless. I couldn't see outside, there was no one to talk to and I was there for months and months. When I woke up, I had to go to the mirror and check to see if I'd lost weight or had bruises. It was so realistic that I didn't know if it was just a dream or not. The worst part was that he was holding me for ransom. I should've only been there for a few days, but my parents didn't want to pay him to get me back." He laughed humorlessly. "Guess you could say my worst nightmare is that my parents care about their money more than they care about me."

"That's terrible," Roxas murmured, wanting to comfort the older boy but not knowing entirely how to go about it. Hug him? No, that would be weird. "I'm sorry, Axel."

The redhead shrugged. "It was just a dream."

"Yeah, but…" Unsure of what he meant to say, Roxas sighed. "Mine was a few years ago after Sora got hurt trying to learn to skateboard. He broke his arm, which was really lucky because he almost got hit by a car. He could have died. I had this really graphic dream of watching him get hit by that car and dying in the street before the ambulances could get there. There was always blood everywhere and he'd smile and tell me not to miss him too much, then he'd die and I'd wake up. I had that nightmare for about two months straight."

Surprising the blond, Axel put his arm around the younger boy's shoulder and hugged him gently. "I can't imagine how terrible it must have felt to see that so many times."

The embrace made him feel uncomfortable for a few moments, but Roxas quickly found that Axel's warmth was comforting and he leaned against the older student. "It was. Sora told me I was silly for dreaming about him dying because he was fine, but it took me a long time to get over it."

"I'm not surprised."

They were quiet for several moments, then Roxas looked up at Axel and gave him a half smile. "I'm glad we're friends now, Axel."

Grinning, the redhead looked back at him, admiring those blue eyes. "Me, too."

X

"Too slow, Brat!"

"Still faster than you!"

"In your dreams!" Spinning, Riku dodged around the younger boy and ran across the gym, dribbling the basketball as he went. Sora was right on his heels, panting and grinning as he swiped at the ball and tried to knock it away from his friend. The older student went in for a layup, his arm stretching out to neatly toss the ball into the net.

"Two points!" he shouted as Sora retrieved the ball, grinning his usual self-assured grin. "That puts me in the lead, twelve to ten."

"Yeah, yeah," Sora replied, rolling his eyes as he dribbled lazily. "Just don't get too cocky or it'll hurt that much more when I beat you."

"I'd say '_if_ you beat me,' but I know that's not going to happen," Riku taunted. "Now quit stalling and make your move."

Sora didn't react right away, then he drove straight forward, his shoulder down to protect the ball from Riku's attempts to steal it. He'd meant to push right past the older boy and go for the hoop to even the score again, but Riku did something he hadn't been counting on. When his shoulder made contact with the silver-haired athlete's chest, Riku didn't move out of the way like a player usually would. Instead, he grabbed onto Sora's arm and spun the younger boy around so that he lost control of the ball.

"Foul!" Sora yelled, turning furious, confused blue eyes on his friend. "Dude!"

Smiling innocently, Riku just shrugged. "Oops."

The brunet groaned in annoyance and rolled his eyes again then went to fetch the ball from where it had rolled to. "Keep your hands to yourself, Riku. You'd never let me get away with something like that so don't think I'll let you do it."

"Yeah, yeah, Brat. Just play."

Still annoyed, Sora set himself up to start their game of one-on-one basketball again. This time he went right with the intention of banking a close shot. He didn't make it past Riku this time, either, though, because the older boy managed to get an arm around his waist and forced him to a stop when he was only half way to a basket.

"Riku!"

"What?"

"Stop that!" Angry and embarrassed because that last touch had been a little bit intimate, Sora glared at the older boy. "You're fouling and we agreed to play clean!"

"All right, all right. I was just kidding around. Relax."

He still had that stupid grin on his face and Sora didn't believe him for a millisecond. Regardless, he huffed and set up to play again. As quickly as he could, he faked left then broke right again—both of Riku's arms managed to catch his waist this time, pulling him so far off balance that both boys fell.

"You jerk!" Struggling, the brunet tried to free himself from the older boy's grip to no avail. Riku had him pinned to the gym floor and didn't seem like he was going to let him up any time soon. "Riku, let go!"

"Nope."

With a growl, Sora thrust his elbow back and caught the older boy in the side hard enough to make Riku loosen his grip. Then the twisted onto his back and shoved him to one side so he could get up. What he didn't expect was for Riku to grab onto his wrist and yank him over so that he was half lying on top of the older boy.

"H-hey!" His face was bright red, both from playing basketball for the last twenty minutes and from how quickly things had changed. For once, he regretted taking his shirt off while they played, and he wished Riku still had his on, too. That would have made this at least a little less…sexual.

"What's the matter, Brat?" Riku was smirking as he snaked an arm around the brunet's waist to force him even closer. "You look terrified."

"D-do not!" Sora replied, trying to pull away but not making any progress because Riku was too strong for him to break the older boy's hold. "I just didn't expect, well, this."

One of Riku's eyebrows went up. "This?"

"Yeah. I mean, you holding my waist while we're both shirtless and sweaty, lying on a floor? Not an everyday occurrence, you know."

"It could be worse, though," Riku pointed out.

"How?"

He shouldn't have asked. He really shouldn't have asked. The moment the word left his mouth, he knew he shouldn't have said anything. Because as soon as he asked how this could be worse, Riku grinned and rolled until Sora was trapped underneath him, his wrists pinned to the floor above his head.

"I could be pinning your wrists to the floor while we're both shirtless and sweaty."

Their faces were so close together that Sora could feel the older boy's breath.

_Oh, my god…he's gonna…is he gonna…? No, he won't. He won't. No way._

"You look scared again," the older boy whispered, his chest pressed against Sora's so that the brunet could feel his weight but wasn't bearing it. "What, don't trust me?"

_Shit, what do I say? _

"U-um…no…"

"You don't trust me?"

"No! I do!"

"Then why do you look so scared?"

_Damn it! He _knows_ why I look scared! He's just being a jerk about it! Of course I look scared! He's close enough to kiss me!_

"Aw, you're so cute when you blush like that," Riku teased him, succeeding in his goal of making Sora blush even more. "Does little Sora want a kiss?"

Instantly, Sora's eyes went wide and his breath caught in his throat.

_Yes. Please. Stop teasing me all the damn time and _do_ something._

"No! Ugh, you're such a cocky jerk, Riku." His glare falling back into place, the brunet jerked against Riku's hold and, to his pleasant surprise, managed to pull free and sit up while the silver-haired boy moved to the side.

"If you really thought that, then you wouldn't be my friend."

Sora shot his friend a scowl then stood. "You're lucky I still want to be friends with you after all the shit you pull."

Grinning, Riku slung an arm around the younger boy's shoulders in a companionable way. "All right, I won't argue with you about that one. We can keep playing if you want—I promise to quit fouling."

"Naw, I'm ready for a shower and some food."

"Then let's hit the showers." Before Sora could protest, he steered him out of the gym and towards the locker room, still smirking due to his small victory—Sora had wanted to kiss him.

X

Her blue eyes lit with amusement, Kairi opened the email she'd received the evening before and skimmed through it. At first, it was the same old thing that Luxord had been telling her ever since she first decided to show her interest in him. It wouldn't work out. They would get in trouble. It was inappropriate and he was too old for her, anyway. Reading it was actually a little boring. After that, though, things got interesting.

_However, I'm sure you know all of that and have decided to continue this game anyway. So, I'll make you a deal. Since I'm aware of your status as a flirt, I'm not inclined to trust your intentions. What I want is proof that you're not doing this just to toy with me or to cause me trouble, and I want you to prove it to me before classes resume in January. If you accept, I'll tell you my plan for gaining the proof I need. If not, then this is where it ends. No more emails, no more flirtatious smiles or touches. Should you choose to decline my request for proof yet you carry on with your actions, I'll have no choice but to report you to the Headmaster. The choice is yours._

That was how it ended. No goodbye or name at the bottom, not that Kairi would have paid much attention to those, anyway. She was too busy thinking about this "proof" that Luxord wanted so that he would know she wasn't just messing with him. Of course she wasn't just messing with him. Who did he think she was, some thirteen-year-old discovering hormones for the first time?

_If it's proof he wants, then it's proof he'll get._

Smiling, Kairi shifted forward in her chair and typed her response.

_I accept._

Then she clicked the Send option and leaned back in her chair as the Message Sent icon appeared to let her know that her email had gone successfully. Things were about to get a lot more interesting around here.


	44. Chapter 44

"Is that all of it?"

Sora turned and looked over the dorm that had been full that morning but now stood empty. "Yep, that's everything." He grinned at his blond brother. "At least we'll have help moving this time."

"Yeah, and I don't think we'll miss this place all that much."

"Nope."

They looked at each other and smiled in excitement. Finally, they were going to join their friends in the sophomore dorm hall. Yes, they would be the youngest students living there, but at least they wouldn't have to move to an entirely different building just to hang out with the others. Luckily, the older students had offered to help them move their things so it wouldn't take very long.

"Oh!" Startled, Sora pulled a vibrating phone out of his jeans pocket and clicked the screen before holding it to his ear. "Hey! You here? Cool, we're all packed. See you in a few." Another click, then the phone went back in his pocket. "Riku, Kairi and Namine are on their way up."

Roxas barely had time to nod his acknowledgment of the news before the door opened and Riku entered the dorm with Kairi and Namine in tow; they rarely bothered to knock these days.

"Hi, guys!" Sora greeted them with a wide smile. "Thanks for coming to help!"

Kairi returned his smile as she looked over the matching suitcases and stack of boxes. "Of course we're helping. It would've taken you all day to move by yourself.

Laughing sheepishly, Sora rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah."

"You guys have a lot of stuff," Namine commented in her usual soft tone.

"But it should only take a few trips to move," Roxas replied, looking at his and Sora's belongings with a critical eye. "What should we take first?"

"Clothes," Riku spoke up for the first time from his spot beside Sora.

It was quiet as they all waited to see if anyone else had an idea of what they should take first. When no one spoke up, Riku stepped forward and grabbed a suitcase, leaving the dorm room without another word. Sora hurriedly picked up another of his bags and ran after him to leave Roxas, Kairi and Namine figure out what they would carry amongst themselves.

"Riku!" He caught up to the older boy and grinned. "I got my grades back today."

"Congratulations." His lack of enthusiasm did nothing to damper Sora's mood as he walked beside the older boy.

"When d'you wanna do the Slave-for-a-Day? I have work tomorrow but we could do it on Sunday like last time."

"Sure."

This time the brunet noticed his friend's tone, though he didn't let his smile falter. Was something wrong with Riku? Had he done or said something to annoy him?

_He hasn't looked at me this whole time…_

It was definitely upsetting, especially considering how, just yesterday, the older boy had been even more physical than normal during their game of basketball. Somehow, they'd gone from Riku not being able to keep his hands to himself to Riku seeming unable to so much as make eye contact. Sora didn't like it one bit, but he didn't say anything as they crossed the short track of lawn that separated the freshman hall from the sophomore hall. They were silent as they got on the elevator, but the moment the doors closed, Sora dropped the bag he'd been carrying and turned to face the other boy.

"Is something wrong?"

"No."

"You seem upset."

"Nothing's wrong, Sora."

Something was definitely wrong—Riku only called him by his name instead of "Brat" when there was something serious on his mind.

"Then what are you thinking about?"

"Nothing."

He let out an exasperated sigh but didn't ask again. There was little point in trying to get Riku to tell him anything when the older boy felt like being difficult.

A _ding_ sounded as the elevator reached the proper floor and they stepped out onto the landing at the same time.

"D'you have your key?"

"Yep!" Grinning, Sora held up the little golden key that would unlock the door to his new dorm room. With a bounce in his step and the bag once more slung over his shoulder, he made his way off down the hallway as Riku followed behind. "Room 813!"

Excited, he unlocked the door and pushed it open to step into his new room for the first time. "Tada!"

Riku looked the bare room over with a hooded gaze. "Nice."

"Just drop the bag inside the door. Rox and I'll decide where we want to put stuff after we get everything moved over." As soon as he finished speaking, Roxas, Kairi and Namine stumbled in with bags in tow.

"Whaddya think?" Sora asked, grin still in place as he threw an arm around his twin's shoulders. "Home sweet home!"

"Yeah," Roxas panted, dropping the suitcase he'd been carrying next to the one Riku had already set down. "Um, we'll go back for the rest. You start unpacking."

"Aye, aye!" Eager to get going, Sora moved his bags farther into the room and unzipped the largest one to begin unpacking his clothes. He heard the door close again as his brother and the girls left to get more of their things, and a moment later was startled by the feel of hands on his hips.

"Whoa!" Spinning, he found himself face-to-face with Riku, just as close as they'd been the day before when the silver-haired athlete had pinned him on the gym floor. "Uh…what're you doin', Riku?"

"Admit it." The words were spoken softly in a tone that was just short of a growl, and Sora gulped.

"Admit what…?"

A smirk lifted one side of the older boy's mouth and he pushed Sora back against the wall next to the dresser. "That you wanted me to kiss you yesterday. And that you want me to kiss you now."

Sora's face flushed a dark red and he struggled to look away from Riku's teal eyes. "I…I don't know what you're talking about…"

"Yes, you do. You wouldn't be this flustered if you didn't want it." He came even closer so that his nose brushed against the younger boy's and Sora tried to press himself back into the wall.

"Psh, yeah, okay, very funny, Riku. Haha," he forced out, grinning nervously. "You can let go now."

"No."

Blue eyes widened as the two stared at each other, Sora red-faces and stuttering while Riku merely smirked and waited for the brunet to say whatever it was that he was trying to say.

"Something wrong, Brat?" he asked softly, leaning so close that Sora could feel the heat of the older boy's breath on his face; he struggled not to shiver.

"N-no! I just—I mean I don't—you—!"

"You just, you don't, I, what?" Riku teased, smirk growing as Sora's blush deepened.

"S-stop it…"

"I'm not doing anything. I'm barely even touching you." It was true, since he'd braced his hands against the wall on either side of Sora's torso so that the younger student was trapped. He was so close that their noses brushed if they moved but otherwise, he wasn't touching Sora at all.

"I mean it, Riku." The brunet did his best to sound confident and stern and cross. "Knock it off. This isn't funny."

"_I_ think it's funny."

"You know, Riku, you can go to jail for that sort of harassment."

Sora jumped, startled, and turned his face away from Riku so that he could see over the taller boy's shoulder. "Kairi! When did you, uh, get back?"

The redhead had her arms crossed over her chest as she stared at the back of Riku's head in clear disapproval. "Just now. Roxas forgot his keys and I offered to come back for them. And I meant what I said about you going to jail, Riku."

"It's not harassment if he likes it," the older boy replied, looking over his shoulder to grin at Kairi. "And I'm not doing anything to him."

"You're pinning him to a wall and he looks like he's about to cry," Kairi pointed out, making Sora look down at his shoes in embarrassment as Riku laughed.

"I wouldn't make Sora cry."

The brunet looked up at that, only to find Riku studying him with a small half-grin on his face.

"Well…not in the way that you're thinking, Kairi."

"_What?"_ Sora burst out, hardly daring to believe his ears. "Hold on a minute! You're not making me do _anything_!" Overwhelmed, he pushed Riku away and stormed back to his bag to continue unpacking, huffing all the while. "Jerk…such an asshole…"

Riku grinned at Kairi. "He wants me to kiss him."

"I do not!" the brunet shouted, whirling around to glare at the older boy. "Stop saying things like that! If I wanted you to kiss me then I'd have kissed you a long time ago!"

"I don't think you've got it in you to kiss me first," the older boy replied, grin settling into an amused look.

"You're so—ugh!" Throwing his hands up, Sora turned around and went back to unpacking, clearly fed up with Riku's antics for now. "Sometimes I can't figure out why you're my best friend."

"Are you finally accepting my apology, then?" Riku asked, instantly losing his grin in favor of a more serious expression. "We're officially friends?"

Sora paused, a stack of shirts in his hands as he halfway straightened to put them in the dresser. "Oh…"

_Crap, I totally forgot about that. We're friends and I never told him…maybe that's why he's been being weird lately…_

It made sense. If he'd been the one waiting for Riku to decide if they could actually be friends again, he'd have lost his patience ages ago. The older boy had been waiting for, what, almost two months now? That really wasn't fair to him, and Sora felt a sense of guilt come over him as he carefully put his shirts in the dresser.

"Uh, yeah. We're friends." He smiled at the older boy, apologetic and embarrassed but not willing to admit that he'd actually forgotten about the fact that they hadn't been official friends for the last six-ish weeks.

Riku's grinned returned and he grabbed Sora by the wrist, pulling the younger boy into a tight hug. "Finally. Took you long enough, Brat."

"It was a tough decision, Jerk," the brunet replied, though he was smiling and returned the hug in full. Only Riku could upset him and cheer him up in such quick succession.

"Kairi, are you—oh." Surprised into silence, Roxas stopped in the doorway and blinked as he stared at his twin and friend. "Um…the keys…?"

The redhead snatched the keys in question off a nearby desk and tossed them to Roxas, disapproving gaze locked on Riku. "If you're going to flirt with him, don't be mean about it."

Rolling his eyes, Riku hugged Sora a little tighter for a moment before letting him go. "Yeah, yeah."

Still embarrassed by everything that had happened in the last few minutes, Sora quietly went back to putting his things away as Kairi and Roxas left to get more things from the freshman hall. Riku watched him before beginning to help.

"I wouldn't mind, you know."

"What?" He looked at the brunet, confused because they hadn't said anything for several minutes.

Shy blue eyes looked up at the older boy and Sora forced a smile. "You know." Then he went back to putting his things away as Riku continued to stare at him. If the silver-haired athlete couldn't figure out what he was talking about, then that was his fault. But Sora was proud of himself for admitting that he wouldn't mind it if Riku kissed him, regardless if the older student figured that out or not.

Just as they finished emptying the first suitcase, the door opened and Roxas walked in, along with Kairi, Namine, Axel and Hayner. "We found some more help!"

Grinning, Axel set down the large box he'd carried. "This is all of it. Glad we could help."

"Thanks!" Sora's infectious smile took its usual place as he greeted the new arrivals. "How'd you guys know we were moving today?"

"I told them," Roxas spoke up, offering a shy smile to the two older boys as they grinned back at him. "They offered to help and good thing or it would've taken us another trip or two."

Hayner slung an arm around the younger blond's shoulders and ruffled his hair. "What're friends for?"

With a nervous laugh, Roxas glanced first at Hayner then at Axel, knowing that the senior wouldn't like how friendly Hayner was. As expected, the redhead was staring daggers at Hayner, though the blond junior seemed oblivious.

"So, whaddya wanna put away first, Roxy?" he asked, his tone turning flirtatious and possessive as he stepped to the blond's other side and put his arm around the younger boy's waist. Roxas hid his alarm at this sudden development, managing to force it down to little more than a blush as Hayner looked at the two of them in interest.

"U-um…clothes…?"

Axel grinned again and pulled Roxas away from Hayner, towards the dresser that Sora hadn't claimed. "Then let's get your clothes put away."

"Okay…"

Clearly confused, the blond allowed himself to be steered across the room and began unpacking his clothes with Axel's help.

"What d'you want me to do, Rox?" Hayner asked, looking around at the other bags and boxes they'd brought over.

Sora looked at Kairi and Namine, jerking his head towards the three males on the other side of the room. "What's up with that?" he mouthed silently, and Kairi gestured vaguely that they would talk about it later when Axel and Hayner weren't there to overhear. A nudge in his side brought his attention away from his brother and the two older boys that were paying so much attention to him, and he turned to find Riku looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

"You gonna finish unpacking or what, Brat?"

Oh, right.

He smiled and nodded, laughing quietly as he, Riku, Kairi and Namine began unpacking the rest of his things. Being in the sophomore dorm hall was interesting already.

XXX

With a sigh, Zexion stepped off the plane and began making his way up the ramp with the rest of the passengers. After two long flights and an overnight stay in an airport lobby, he was only a car ride away from being home for the first time since August.

First, collect his suitcase from the baggage claim, then hail a taxi once he got outside. It was a silent forty-five minute drive out of the city to his small hometown. The lights were still on when he got there, surprisingly.

_Why is she still up? She has work in the morning; she should be sleeping._

Despite his disapproval, the blue-haired teen couldn't help but smile at the thought that she'd waited up for him. As soon as he opened the front door and stepped inside, arms were flung about his neck and he was pulled into a hug, his bag falling to the floor. Smile growing, he returned the hug and took a deep breath.

"Welcome home."

"Hi, mom," he replied quietly, and she pulled away enough to look up at him. Eyes that were identical to his own examined his face.

"You look exhausted."

"It was a long trip. I'm just glad to be home."

His mother smiled. "It's good to see you."

Zexion nodded and picked his bag up again. "Don't you have work in the morning?" he asked as he moved farther into the house. It was small and plain, but neat.

"Yes." Her tone was slightly guilty. "But my boy is more important than an extra couple of hours of sleep."

Moving down the short hall to his old bedroom, Zexion looked back at the tired-looking woman behind him. "You need your rest." He knew she wasn't getting enough sleep and that she had been working even more than normal—he could see it in the dark circles under her eyes, how her shoulders sagged just a little.

"I'll be fine," she insisted, watching him open his suitcase and retrieve his pajamas.

A sigh escaped him and he turned to her, smiling fondly. "It worries me. You work too hard."

She smiled back at him and moved to hug him again. "The money you send helps. I know it isn't fair to you, but I'm grateful."

"Don't be ridiculous. You raised me without help from anyone and managed to get me into a great school. It's the least I can do to send a little money every couple of weeks." He hugged her tighter for a moment before letting her go. "Go to sleep, mom. I'll see you tomorrow night."

Going up on her tiptoes, Zexion's mother placed a kiss on his forehead. "Good night. I love you."

"Love you, too," he murmured as she left the room. As soon as the door shut behind her, Zexion took a deep breath and let it out as a sigh, sitting on the familiar, creaky old mattress as he examined the room he hadn't seen for five months. It was exactly as he'd left it, though his mother had obviously come in to dust and vacuum during that time. The walls were bare, the shelves held nothing but odds and ends of things he'd collected over the years. A small dresser stood in one corner and a desk that had been repaired too many times to count occupied another. His room. Small, plain, a little cramped, but, like the rest of the house, neat and orderly and clean. Nothing close to the luxury he lived in at school, but he didn't care. This was home.

Home.

Something he was ashamed to talk about, even to Axel, who'd known him longer than anyone. How could he hope to explain to the rich kids that went to Kingdom High that he was there purely on scholarship, that if he didn't work in the school's lab as Vexen's assistant and send his meager paycheck home to his mother, she would lose their house even though she worked almost constantly just to pay the bills?

No, he couldn't tell anyone where he was from. Not even Demyx, and he knew Demyx wasn't rich. But the blond junior had more money than Zexion had ever had and he wasn't comfortable with talking about his hometown or what it had been like growing up. It just wasn't something he brought up, and he avoided getting involved in conversations about family. He didn't want to have to explain that his dad vanished when he was three or that he had siblings somewhere in the world whom he'd never met.

The blue-haired teen let out yet another sigh as he lay back on his bed and stared at the ceiling. "Home, sweet home."


	45. Chapter 45

It was clean enough. At least, Roxas told himself it was as he surveyed his and Sora's new dorm. With the help of their friends, they'd managed to move all of their things from the freshman hall to the sophomore one in only a few trips. Now, all of their things had been unpacked, though not everything was put away just yet.

Today, he was supposed to finish setting up while Sora was at work. So far he'd made good progress, but he'd abandoned that job in favor of making sure everything looked nice even if it wasn't completely put away.

In the small amount of time he'd spent cleaning, the blond though he'd done a good job.

_He'll be here any minute._

The text had caught him off-guard and sent him into a flurry of action, though Roxas was proud that he'd managed to finish with time to spare.

_Never thought I'd put that sort of effort into hanging out with him._

If someone had told him only a couple of months ago that he would be cleaning his dorm today because Axel was coming over, he would have laughed in their face. It would have sounded so preposterous. Completely unrealistic. Impossible.

Yet here he was, standing in the middle of his room making sure it was clean enough for Axel to come over. Things had certainly changed in the last few weeks.

The sound of a knock on the door startled him and the blond jumped slightly—wait, was he _nervous?_ To see _Axel?_ No, no, of course not. That would be ridiculous. There was no way he was nervous to spend time with the senior. Why should he be? It wasn't like he was actually starting to—

_Knock, knock._ "Roxas?"

Blue eyes widened and Roxas rushed to open the door. "Hey! Sorry! I was just, um…" Crap. What was he supposed to say?! His silence dragged on ass he struggled to come up with something. Eventually, Axel chuckled and shook his head, eyes disappearing behind lids for a moment.

"You were, what?" he asked, and Roxas gave an embarrassed smile.

"I forgot what I was going to say."

"In that case, can I come in?"

Roxas nodded and stepped back out of the way, mentally smacking himself as he closed the door.

_Smooth. Real smooth. Way to look like a complete idiot as soon as he gets here._

"So, whaddya wanna do?"

Turning, he saw that Axel had claimed Sora's desk chair and was waiting expectantly.

"Uh, we can watch a movie or play videogames or go for a walk," the blond suggested; Axel made a face.

"Let's not go outside."

His tone was so flat that Roxas couldn't help but glace at the window. A pale blue sky reigned over their winter-bound campus. It looked cold, though it wasn't currently snowing or windy.

"You don't like the cold," Roxas commented, settling into his own chair and turning to face the older boy. Axel wasn't looking at him; his green eyes were locked on the window as if something beyond the glass had caught his attention and he couldn't bring himself to look away.

"Axel?"

The redhead turned just slightly, though he was still looking at the window.

"Are you okay?" the blond asked, growing concerned.

It took a moment, then Axel slowly looked away from the window and grinned crookedly. "Yeah. I'm fine."

There was something in his voice that worried Roxas, though he knew that now wasn't the time to ask about it. So, instead, he smiled.

"Let's have cocoa and play videogames," he decided, and Axel nodded.

"Sure."

Being deliberately casual, Roxas got up and moved to where the TV and gaming systems had been put for safekeeping. They weren't plugged in or set up in any way, but since everything was laid out where it needed to be on the shelves, Roxas had it on and running in only a couple of minutes.

"You pick the game," the sophomore instructed, holding a black nylon case out to Axel, "and I'll make the cocoa."

The senior grinned as he accepted the case. "Yes, sir." His tone was slightly teasing and Roxas turned away before his blush could set in, busying himself with the hot cocoa.

He was blushing from that tiny bit of teasing? What was wrong with him?

_Keep it together, Roxas_, he commanded himself as he retrieved two mugs from the hanging cupboard. The sophomore hall was considerably nicer than the freshman hall—these rooms were bigger and had more storage space so it didn't look so cluttered. _It's just Axel doing what he always does._

True, but he would have been annoyed by the older boy's teasing a few weeks ago. Now it made him blush and he wasn't entirely sure how he felt about it. Well, maybe he was just going to have to test the waters, so to speak.

_I could tease him back,_ the blond thought, measuring the instant cocoa powder into the portable brewing machine his and Sora's parents had given them in preparation for the winter months. It made about four cups per batch so they would each get plenty, and Roxas waited until it had started to mix the powder and water before turning around to face Axel.

"Did you pick one?"

Axel held up a disc. "Halo?"

Nodding, Roxas took the disc and put it in the correct consol. Both boys moved the chairs to sit where they could easily see the TV screen and Roxas flashed a small, nervous smile at the older student. They'd sat so close together that their elbows touched and Roxas couldn't help but think that, had they been sitting on a couch or futon, they'd have been even closer.

_I wouldn't mind that._

They were silent as the game loaded and the beginning cutscene played through, and Roxas couldn't help but glance at Axel every few moments. To his embarrassment, one of his glances found the redhead looking directly at him, smirking and with a raised eyebrow; Axel knew he'd been looking.

"Sorry," the blond mumbled, face red as he stared at the TV to avoid meeting those green eyes.

"What were you looking for?"

The question caught him off-guard and Roxas could only shrug. He didn't know why he'd stolen so many glances at the senior, just that he couldn't help it, and even though he didn't have an answer, he had a question.

"Why do you like me, Axel?"

"What do you mean?"

Turning, the sophomore forced himself to meet Axel's gaze. "In chemistry, when you passed me that note, why'd you do it? You didn't know anything about me."

A crooked grin appeared on the redhead's face. "That was the point, though. I wanted to get to know you."

"Then why didn't you just come talk to me after class? Or in P.E.?" Roxas asked, persistent.

Axel looked away. "I did talk to you in P.E. on your first day."

"Yeah, but you didn't tell me your name or that the notes were from you," the blond pointed out, and Axel shrugged.

"I didn't want you to know it was me yet, and I couldn't just talk to you like I wanted."

"Why not?"

The older boy hesitated, fiddling with his remote as the forgotten videogame sat waiting for them to play; an empty silence betrayed that the cocoa was finished, as well, but neither of them moved to get it. "Because…it's complicated," he hedged, and Roxas fought back the urge to roll his eyes.

"You can tell me, Axel."

"I shouldn't, though." The senior shook himself then forced a smile. "Are we gonna play or what?"

"Yeah." Roxas looked at his companion with unreadable blue eyes. "We are."

And that was that. His curiosity gnawed at his brain, distracting him, but he ignored it as best he could. If Axel didn't want to talk about whatever was making things complicated, then Roxas wan't going to force it out of him. They'd only made it through the first few missions, however, when he noticed the senior looking at him out of the corner of his eye.

"What?" he asked without looking away from the screen as he maneuvered his character down a pathway.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah."

"Do you like Hayner?"

Startled by this question that came from seemingly nowhere, Roxas managed to tear his focus form the game long enough to give Axel a confused look.

"Yeah, he's nice and cool and he does keep Seifer from causing me trouble. We're pretty good friends now, I think."

"NO," there was impatience in the older boy's tone, "do you like-like him?"

Roxas paused the game and faced the senior. "As in, do I want to date him?"

The redhead nodded, also turning in his chair.

A few moments passed as the smaller male regarded the larger, trying to figure out what had made him ask.

"No," he finally answered, "I don't like-like Hayner. Why?"

Axel shrugged and faced the TV again, though Roxas could tell that the senior was holding back a grin.

"Why did you want to know, Axel? Were you jealous or something?"

To his surprise, the redhead chuckled then started laughing.

"Me, jealous?" he managed between laughs. "Of Hayner? No way. I just wanted to know if I was competing for your attention."

Roxas blinked, expression blank. Competing? For _him?_ Hayner and Axel were competing over _him?_ It was preposterous, completely groundless. Why would anyone in his right mind think that Roxas was worth competing for.

"My attention?" he repeated, still dumbstruck. "_Why?"_

Axel chuckled again. "Come on, you've gotta know that you're good-looking on top of being a genius, and you actually have a personality that most people would want to spend time around. Why wouldn't we compete with each other?"

"I don't know." It really didn't make any sense to him. "I'm nothing special."

"Yeah, you are," Axel contradicted with a grin. "You're special enough to fight for, Baby Blues, and I hope you realize that."

Roxas' face turned red to hear the nickname out loud; the older boy hadn't called him that in a while, and it still got to him. Besides, he had no idea how he was supposed to respond to that, so he remained silent and got up to fetch the cocoa in order to avoid the top.

_Axel thinks I'm special._

Knowing it made him feel oddly warm and even a little smug.

X

Impatient, Sora watched the clock on the wall as it ticked away the seconds. Less than an hour to go and he'd be done for the rest of break—Yuffie apparently closed up shop during the holidays, so he didn't have another shift until the second week of January. Which also meant that he got his paycheck today.

_Straight to the bank to deposit it then back to campus in time for dinner._

Not for the first time, Sora was glad he could access his bank account through the local branch. This way, he could use his debit hard rather than cash. Not that he ever bought anything save for the Christmas presents he'd ordered online.

Christmas.

Thinking about the holiday put an excited smile on the brunet's face and he wiggled in his chair behind the front counter. Christmas was his second favorite holiday—Halloween was his first—and he was even more excited for it than normal. Previous Christmases had consisted of time spent with his parents and Roxas. They would exchange gifts and have a family dinner. It was one of the few times of the year that they actually went _home._ This Christmas, though, the twins had opted to stay on campus and celebrate with their friends. They had, of course, arranged to videochat their parents on Christmas morning, but it would still be the first Christmas spent with more than the four of them.

_It's going to be interesting, that's for sure,_ the brunet thought, fingers idly tapping on the countertop. He glanced at the clock again.

Forty-five minutes to go.

Ugh, he was so bored. There was literally nothing to do. Even Yuffie had said she didn't have any tasks for him because everything had already been taken care of. His only purpose today was to help any customers who came in, and so far there hadn't been any.

Sora glanced around furtively to see if Yuffie was coming before taking his phone out of his pocket and opening a new message.

_ Are you busy tomorrow?_

He sent the text and quickly went back to the exact position he'd been in before in case anyone happened to glance in the store window—he definitely wasn't texting on the job. Within moments, his phone buzzed against his palm and he clicked it to see a response from Riku.

_ No, but I'm guessing I'm about to be._

That put a small grin on Sora's face and he wasted no time in typing up his reply.

_ Yep. We're doing Slave-for-a-Day, and don't try to get out of it. You agreed to this and just because you lost the bet doesn't mean you can back out._

_ We don't know who won yet, Brat._

_ I'm confident. Don't worry, I won't be TOO mean to you_

He had to laugh a little to himself as he sent that message, knowing how indignant it would make the older boy for him to be a little teasing. It would probably annoy Riku and then he'd spend the day sulking regardless of who actually won, but Sora thought the silver-haired athlete deserved to be teased. After what he'd made Sora wear and do for the first Slave-for-a-Day bet, he deserved whatever revenge the brunet sophomore could come up with.

_ If I win, you're going to pay for that comment_

The threat would have worried Sora if he wasn't so sure he'd won, so rather than shrink a little at the thought of being punished—which would definitely have been worse than anything he had to do last time—he just smiled and shook his head.

_ Yeah, and when I win, I'll make you eat your words._

_ Sure you will, Brat. I'll see you at midnight to compare grades._

_ See you at midnight._

He was even more excited for this than he had been a few minutes ago.

X

The internet was fully connected. His laptop was on and running smoothly and he'd just logged into the program he'd downloaded especially for this. Now all he had to do was wait.

_Ding!_

"_Zexion is online,"_ the speaker sounded in its automated voice, and Demyx couldn't help but smile. Immediately, he double-clicked on the name so that a small options menu appeared, and selected the "Video Call" bar. A larger window popped up, displaying his avatar along with Zexion's, with the symbol of a phone in between to show that his computer was trying to connect to the other boy's. It only took a moment for Zexion to answer, and then the avatars were replaced with windows of their faces.

Demyx's smile widened and he waved a little. "Hi, Zexion!"

His own fond smile in place, Zexion returned the wave. "Hey, Demy. How are you?"

"Kind of lonely," the blond admitted, "and it's too cold to go outside most of the time, but I'm okay. You?"

"Tired."

The word came out as a sigh and Demyx felt a pang of sympathy for the older boy. It hadn't been obvious at first, but now that he knew it was there, he noticed the darkness starting to form under Zexion's blue eyes that were slightly bloodshot, and his shoulders were slumped slightly.

"You can go to bed, Zex," he offered quietly. "I won't make you stay up just to talk to me. We can do this some other time."

"No." Zexion shook his head then gave Demyx an amused, knowing look. "You're only offering because you're worried about me, and if I say yes, you'll spend the rest of the night wishing you were talking to me, and I wouldn't be able to fall asleep anyway because I'd be wishing the same thing. But, since I'm not going to accept that offer, we'll stay up for a few hours and talk, and then I'll fall right to sleep afterwards because I got to talk to you, and I don't have to get up early tomorrow."

A blush appeared on the younger of the two's face and Demyx looked down at his hands in his lap. "I miss you, too."

Even though that hadn't been what Zexion said, he knew it was what the blue-haired boy meant, and he felt the same way. Yes, if Zexion was tired then Demyx would let him go to bed, but he couldn't deny that he would have done just what Zexion said he would. Lie awake in bed for hours wishing they'd gotten to talk for at least an hour because he missed the older boy already and videochatting with him was as close as they were going to get to being together for the next few weeks. And, as tired as Zexion looked, he believed that he felt the same way about being so far away from each other. Neither of them was used to it anymore.

"Hey, did Axel drop off my Christmas present for you?" the older boy asked, and Demyx shook his head.

"Nope. I haven't seen him at all."

"He's probably being lazy and hasn't bothered to leave our room. I'll text him tomorrow and make sure he brings it over."

At that moment, an idea occurred to Demyx that he almost couldn't wait to carry out, and he almost said it but managed not to at the last moment. It wasn't the sort of idea he wanted to tell Zexion about—it should be a surprise, after all. "No, don't do that. Just let him know that I'll come over to pick it up tomorrow. That way he doesn't have to go out into the cold."

Zexion looked impressed. "You remember that he hates the cold?"

"Kind of hard to forget when he won't stop complaining about it every time we walk to lunch or dinner," Demyx responded, earning a laugh from the older boy.

"I think I'm rubbing off on you, Dem." There was a playful warning tone to the blue-haired student's words, and Demyx put on an innocent smile.

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Nope."


	46. Chapter 46

This was so stupid. He couldn't believe he was doing this again.

_The first time was fun._

Right. It was. So this time would be, too. Except this time he was walking into it with a great deal more uncertainty than he had the first time. Despite his denying it at every opportunity, there was a chance that Sora had actually gotten higher marks than him for the term. It had been close last time, after all, and with Roxas' help there was no telling how much the brunet had improved his grades.

_He didn't win. He doesn't have the time or attention span to improve his scores enough to beat me. Besides, I did better this term than last._

His mental reassurances weren't quite as helpful as he'd intended, but they still put a little more confidence into his stride as Riku made his way to the small lobby on his floor—each floor had a central seating area with couches and a TV for group movies and the like. The chosen location to meet with Sora and compare marks was that lobby at midnight. It was 11:58.

"Better not be late, Brat," the silver-haired student muttered under his breath as he entered the lobby and dropped onto one of the couches to stretch and lounge. Less than a minute later, the sound of approaching footsteps reached him and he turned his head to see Sora coming towards the lobby. He was right on time, and Riku grinned lazily.

"Hey."

"Hey." Sora wasn't carrying anything save for a folded piece of paper, which must have been his list of grades for the past term and semester. He sat on a couch across from the older boy, unusually quiet for him. Wordlessly, Riku shifted on his couch and pulled an almost identical piece of paper out of his pocket.

"On three," he said, and Sora nodded. The two boys slowly unfolded their papers. "One."

Sora grinned. "Two.

"Three."

"Three."

Moving simultaneously, they held out their sheets towards each other.

At first, Riku didn't react. It didn't sink in right away. But after a moment, he blinked, then blinked again a little faster, then shook his head and sighed.

"Fine."

Grinning like mad now, Sora let out a whoop and jumped up off the couch, fisted hands in the air as he celebrated his victory. "By three whole points!"

_Impossible. How could his grades improve that much in one term?_

"You thought Roxas got all the brains, didn't you," Sora teased, his hands on his hips. Out of habit, Riku smirked.

"Can you blame me? You must have really slacked off last term, Brat."

The younger boy shrugged. "I already told you I'm more interested in a soccer match than in math.

"But you're smart," Riku pointed out, "and you're athletic. Why let one go to waste? You'll be more successful if you use both."

"Maybe. But school bores me. Sports bore Roxas. If he practiced, he'd be just as good as I am, and if I studied, I'd have as high of grades as he does. We just…don't."

Recognizing that he had little hope of convincing Sora that academics deserved as much of his attention as athletics did, Riku let it go. "Fine. Are we doing this or not?"

A grin spread over Sora's face. "We are. For twenty-four hours, Riku, you're my slave."

"Yeah, yeah. Your room?"

"Nope. Roxas is there—I don't think you'll want witnesses. Your room."

His tone made Riku nervous, not that he showed it in any way. He was probably not going to enjoy the next twenty-four hours.

Sighing, the silver-haired sophomore pushed himself up off the couch. "Let's just get this over with, Brat."

Sora playfully punched the other boy on the shoulder. "Aw, don't sound so grumpy. Didn't I promise I wouldn't be too mean?"

"Yeah." Now with a grin in place, Riku slung an arm around Sora's neck and pulled him close in order to ruffle his hair. "I'm not going to make this easy for you, you know."

"Good. I don't want to get bored with you."

Riku couldn't help but roll his eyes. Typical. It was just like Sora to purposefully view his victory as a whole new competition. "I'll try not to disappoint you."

"Such a good boy," Sora cooed, then took off running down the hallway before Riku could react.

It took a moment for the older boy to realize what had just been said, then his expression turned thunderous and he bolted after the younger student.

"You little brat!"

He could hear Sora laughing as he chased him all the way to the brunet's dorm, though he didn't manage to get to it before the door slammed shut and was locked. Glaring, the older boy pounded on the door with a fist. "Get out here and say that to my face so I can give you a bloody nose, Brat!" he shouted through the wood; Sora and Roxas' laughter was audible from inside the room. Riku was about to shout again when the door opened and Sora stepped out into the hallway, a bag in his hand.

"Come on!" the brunet said cheerfully, moving off as Roxas appeared in the doorway and smiled.

"Have fun, guys." Then the door shut once more and Riku was left with no other option but to follow his cheerful friend down from the eighth floor to the fourth floor where his dorm was.

A few lengthened strides were all it took to put him at Sora's side, and he slipped an arm around the brunet's waist without asking for permission. "So, what exactly do you have planned for the next twenty-four hours?" he asked, trying to sound as casual as he could.

"You'll see~" Sora winked then patted his bag. "I've got a surprise for you."

That caught Riku's interest though he knew that the "surprise" probably wasn't something he was actually going to enjoy. "Great."

"Don't worry, it's not nearly as bad as what you did to me," Sora tried to reassure him, and it did work a little bit. At least, it made him less worried that he was going to end up in some slutty costume.

He should have been worried.

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

Smiling innocently, Sora continued to hold up the "surprise." "Nope! So get dressed, servantboy. We've got work to do."

_I'm going to kill him in his sleep._

With a growl, Riku snatched the "surprise" out of the younger boy's hands and stalked into the closet to change. It was embarrassing. It was beyond embarrassing. What the hell happened to it being unfair that he sometimes went shirtless? Damn it. He looked like…some weird butler. A sigh escaped him as he fixed the cloth tied around his neck—at least it wasn't as bad as what he'd made Sora wear. Although the brunet had probably realized he would never manage to get Riku into anything even similar to those shorts or the skirt.

"Hey, did you fall asleep in there or what?"

The sound of Sora's voice from outside the closet made Riku grimace and he lightly hit his forehead against the wall. Hell.

"No." He steeled himself before opening the door and walking out into the dorm room, doing his best not to glare or frown or anything. His expression was completely neutral as he looked at the grin on Sora's face.

"Nice."

_Shut up._ "Don't sound so surprised. You think something like this would look bad on me?" He put as arrogant an edge as he could on his tone to cover up his slight embarrassment. Really, he wouldn't have minded the outfit Sora chose for him if it hadn't been for the shorts. If he could call them shorts, at least. They were black spandex and Riku had never been more grateful for the fact that he was so fit. At least he didn't have a muffin top. He was also wearing a white half-apron with a frill around the edge, a black bowtie and silky black gloves, so he was convinced he looked like some strange slutty butler character.

"Naw, I knew you'd look hot." The comment was made so casually that it actually took Riku off-guard and he stared at Sora while the brunet surveyed the dorm. "Hm…what to do first…"

Quickly overcoming his surprise, the older boy stepped closer to his companion and placed a hand suggestively low on Sora's back. "Whatever you want, Master Sora," he purred. Not for one minute of the next twenty-four hours did he intend to lose control of his own actions or to at least lose the appearance that he was in control.

Sora looked up at him and smiled, the absolute image of innocence. "Videogames."

There wasn't much he could do with that, so Riku simply nodded and moved his desk chair so that he and Sora could both sit in front of the TV to play. Interestingly enough, the brunet turned his chair so that he could prop his sock-covered feet on Riku's lap while they played; the older boy was half tempted to reach over and let his hand rest on Sora's thigh so that he could give it the occasional rub or squeeze like he'd done during the concert before semester finals. That had been fun. The faces Sora had made during the concert were priceless and Riku knew it would be easy to do it again. But for now it was better not to press his luck. He was "servantboy," after all, and there was no telling what Master Sora would do if he overstepped his boundaries.

Videogames lasted for three hours before both boys started yawning.

"Hey, Brat."

A tired frown appeared on Sora's face and not-quite-focused blue eyes glared at Riku. "Don' call me that."

Riku let out a patient sigh. "Master Sora, I think it's time for bed."

Slowly, the younger boy looked around the dorm as if searching for a reason to contest that statement, then shrugged and sighed before rising from his chair, his movements sluggish and uncoordinated. "Kay."

"Come on." Riku put the controllers away and shut off the gaming console and TV as Sora went to retrieve his toothbrush from his bag. They brushed their teeth and changed into their respective pajamas in silence then, one after the other, climbed up into Riku's lofted bed.

"Hey."

Ready to collapse and sleep for the next eight or nine hours, Riku lifted his head to meet Sora's gaze and was surprised by the determination that had broken through the brunet's sleepy expression. "What?"

Sora lay down and pulled the blankets over himself, his back to Riku. "Cuddle me."

A few moments passed before Riku could collect himself to react to that half-mumbled command, but then he smiled to himself and lay down. The blankets were tugged up until they covered his shoulders, and then he reached out to wrap his arms around Sora's narrow waist to gently draw the younger boy closer. When the brunet's warm back was securely held against his chest, Riku let out a contented hum and nuzzled his face into his companion's neck.

_Hm…he smells nice…_

He hadn't noticed it before, but now that he did, he liked it. Something warm and fresh like early summer before the heat gets oppressive.

"You smell good," he murmured, and felt Sora shift against him.

"Thanks…"

The half-asleep response made him smile and he tightened his arms slightly to ensure that Sora wouldn't move away during the night. This was one of the few respites he got from their endless teasing and flirting. Genuine affection was allowed during this time and Riku let it emanate from him as if this would be his last opportunity to try to communicate to Sora how he felt.

X

He woke up to the feel of lips on his collarbone and froze, still-asleep brain struggling to comprehend. Lips? Sora. Sora was kissing his collarbone. Why?

The feeling was gone before he managed to figure it out, and a face nuzzled against him instead. Sora's breath was warm on his skin and Riku tightened his arms just barely to bring the younger boy closer to himself.

Even barely awake, he was aware that Sora was holding onto him and it brought a smile to his lips. Softly, he pressed a kiss to the top of the brunet's head and wondered if either of them was awake enough to realize what they were doing.

It would have been easy to tip Sora's chin up or whisper his name, look into sleepy blue eyes and brush back mussed brown hair. Smile. Kiss his nose. Watch a blush spread over his cheeks. Pull him a little closer so their bodies were flush against each other. Hold him there as the blush darkens. Kiss him. Kiss him softly then harder. Bite his lip. Deepen it. Find out—_finally_—what he tastes like. Push him back and move over him.

"_Riku…"_

"_Damn it, Sora."_

_He couldn't do this anymore. He was tired of playing off his flirting as nothing but a game. For the first time, he had a real opportunity to show Sora how he really felt and he wasn't about to pass it up._

_Searching fingers found the hem of Sora's shirt and quickly pushed the fabric up to bare toned stomach and chest. He kissed the newly exposed skin, letting his hands continue up until they found the younger boy's nipples. The touch made Sora arch and he gasped, fingers tangled in the blankets beneath him._

"_R-Riku!"_

_His kisses moved higher until they came even with his hands, and he took one away to lick the sensitive flesh; Sora was trembling._

"_N-no—don't lick—!"_

_Ignoring the panted words, Riku locked his mouth around the nub and sucked, letting his tongue and teeth play in until Sora's voice dissolved into little more than gasping moans. It was beautiful to listen to. Slowly, he sent his free hand downward to the boy's pajama pants and slipped his fingers past the elastic waistband, under the pants but over the boxers. He felt Sora's breath hitch and dragged his tongue over the nipple he'd been tending to so carefully until the brunet shuddered and relaxed again. Only then did he put his hand farther into the younger boy's pants; he palmed the mass he found there, felt it hardening under his touch as Sora's hips began to move against him._

"_Does it feel good?" he whispered, purring as he abandoned Sora's nipple in favor of his ear._

"_Y-ah-yes…" The response was just short of a whine and Riku smirked._

"_Good."_

_His hand moved faster, coaxing louder sounds from the boy beneath him, and Riku gave in. He kissed the brunet, roughly, until he was just as breathless as Sora was. Bodies pressed together with Riku's hand trapped between them. It was the best moment of his life and yet it wasn't enough because there was still so much fabric in the way and—_

"Riku, are you all right?"

A hand shaking his shoulder forced Riku to open his eyes and he stared at Sora in confusion; the younger boy looked worried.

"What?" he asked, confused, then he frowned as the realization crashed into him—it was a dream. He'd fallen back asleep and dreamed the whole thing. There had been no kissing, no touching or tasting.

_Damn it._

"You looked like you were having a nightmare," Sora said quietly, blue eyes full of concern.

Great. His first actual dirty dream about the brunet and Sora just had to be there to witness it. Typical bad luck.

"Riku?"

"I'm fine." Slowly, he met the younger boy's gaze and smiled a little. "I don't even remember what I was dreaming about." A lie. Just one of many, though, and not a big enough one for him to feel guilty about it. Besides, what was he supposed to say if Sora asked what he'd been dreaming about?

_Kissing you and touching you and tasting you and god you taste good you little brat and having you under me like that was amazing and I would do it again in a heartbeat. Now quit looking at me with those big blue eyes before I lose it._

But Sora didn't look away and Riku found it increasingly difficult not to yank the younger boy against his chest and kiss the hell out of him like he had in his dream. Finally, he tore his gaze away and sat up, pulling his arms free of Sora and stretching to give himself an excuse for moving.

"I suppose you want me to cook you breakfast." A glance revealed the infuriatingly innocent smile that had taken over Sora's face.

"That would be nice."

Of course it would. Sighing, Riku climbed down out of the loft and set about making breakfast for the two of them, just simple cereal with soy milk. He only had rice Chex, which Sora made a face at when Riku offered him the bowl.

"Is that all you have?"

"It's a healthy breakfast, Brat," the older boy growled, rolling his eyes because he should have known that Sora would want something sugary and sweet and colorful rather than his rice Chex. "Shut up and eat it."

"Don't you have oatmeal?" There was a hopeful edge to the brunet's tone and Riku had a difficult time not huffing in irritation.

"No. I ran out last week and I haven't gone to the store to pick up more yet. Now, _Master Sora,_" he used as impertinent a tone as he could, "get your ass down here, shut up, and eat your cereal before I dump it on you and refuse to help you clean it up."

Sora grinned and shifted forward to look down to where Riku stood in the middle of the room, a bowl of cereal in each hand. "You can't do that!" the brunet sang, obviously very pleased with that fact. "You're my slave until midnight so if I say you have to clean it up, then you have to do it!"

"Yeah, and this is all I have for you to eat for breakfast, so quit whining and get down here."

Finally, the younger boy relented and climbed down from the lofted bed before falling back onto the futon. He accepted the bowl Riku held out to him with only a slight expression of distaste. It was nearly silent in the dorm as the two ate, Riku across the room, leaning against the wall. He watched Sora with hooded teal eyes that refused to betray what he was thinking, not that the brunet was looking. Rather, he was completely focused on his food and it made Riku chuckle internally to see that his companion was clearly enjoying the cereal he had originally turned down.

_Always so stubborn…_

The thought made him smirk slightly as he chewed yet another mouthful of the Chex. Well, Sora's stubbornness wasn't necessarily a bad thing. In fact, Riku thought he might be able to use it to his advantage. Sora wasn't going to have as much control over the rest of the day as he thought.


	47. Chapter 47

"Mm…Riku…harder…"

_Shut up shut up shut up!_

His face couldn't have gotten redder than it was and Riku was unbelievably glad that Sora couldn't see it. That would get him hours of teasing and no way in hell did he want that. This was already bad enough.

With his knees to either side of Sora's hips, Riku knelt over the younger boy as Sora laid on his stomach on the older's bed, his cheek resting on his hands. Currently, Riku's hands were busy working against the muscles of Sora's back, and damn did that kid have some serious knots.

"You gotta learn to relax, Brat," he commented, forcing his tone to be casual as he rubbed and pressed against the lumps. "These knots are huge."

"Well maybe if—ah—someone didn't work me so hard," came the breathy response, and Riku couldn't help but think he could work Sora a lot harder than he did, in more ways than one.

_Moan my name one more time and I swear to whatever gods there are that I'll pin you down and make you scream it._

It wasn't the sort of thought he was proud of having, but he couldn't help it. Not while he was straddling the kid and they were both shirtless. Riku was, by order of Sora, wearing his slutty butler get up once more. Sora was shirtless by choice, seeing as he thought shirts got in the way of back rubs, and Riku hadn't thought to argue. Now, he couldn't decide if he liked the fact that Sora was only wearing a pair of jeans or if he wanted to drown the brunet in layers just so he could stop imagining things to do to his body.

_What the hell is happening to me? I never used to be this perverted! I've seen Sora shirtless countless times and _never_ had thoughts like these!_

Frustration made him press a little too hard on one of the knots and Sora winced, shifting uncomfortably and therefore rubbing just a little against a very specific part of Riku's body with a very specific part of Sora's body. The older boy's eyes went wide and he quickly picked himself up to put space between them, muttering an apology and gently rubbing the spot to make sure it wouldn't bruise.

With a content sigh, Sora stilled once more, though Riku didn't dare let his weight rest against the brunet. He kept himself up on his knees so that they only touched where his legs were braced on the mattress and wherever he decided to put his hands. Shit, that had been close, and now he was too warm and he knew exactly why but he couldn't say anything or go to the bathroom to take care of it because then Sora would want to know what was wrong and no way in hell was he going to admit that he was getting turned on by something as dumb as a back rub!

"Hey, Riku?" One clear blue eye looked up at him.

"Yeah?"

"Could you get my lower back a little more?"

"Uh, sure." Riku's gaze slid down Sora's spine like a touch to the boy's lower back and he noticed for the first time that the brunet actually had little dimples there.

_Oh…_

Before he had a chance to stop himself, the silver-haired student was imagining leaning down and kissing the lightly tanned back before him, over the shoulder blades and the back of the neck, trailing lower along the spine until he reached those dimples. He imagined kissing them, letting his tongue slip out to trace them and he knew it would make Sora gasp and shit now he was remembering his dream and oh god no, not now he couldn't really be getting aroused this easily, could he?

"Riku?" Sora was twisting around, propping himself up on his elbows so he could look at Riku. "You okay?"

No, he was not okay, but he forced a grin. "Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"

"You just sorta…froze."

The older boy laughed nervously. "Did I? Sorry, must've been spacing off. Here, lie down. I'll get your lower back for you."

Sora regarded him for a moment, blue eyes still concerned, then he nodded and settled on the mattress once more. "Okay."

Relief washed over him and Riku held back a sigh as he set his hands to rubbing slow circles on the spaces between Sora's spine and his hip bones. His thumbs brushed against those dimples over and over again and he just knew that the pad of his finger would fit them perfectly. It was difficult to keep from placing his hands over the brunet's hips so that his thumbs could perfectly reach the dimples and sit inside them, pushing just a little.

A sigh escaped the younger boy and Riku tried not to let it trigger any more stupid little fantasies. "You're good at this," Sora mumbled, his eyelids starting to droop, and Riku couldn't help but smile.

"Well I'm glad Master Sora is enjoying himself."

That got a small laugh from the brunet, and then his eyes were closed and within moments his breathing started to slow. Not sure if he was actually asleep or not, Riku continued rubbing up and down his companion's back, making little circles and figure eights with his fingers. The skin under his palms was warm, tinged pink by being rubbed. Slowly, he worked his way from shoulders to dimples, fingers searching for any knots he'd missed or hadn't managed to work out before. There were none, so, cautiously, Riku braced his hands on the mattress to either side of Sora's ribcage and leaned down.

"Sora?" he whispered—the younger boy didn't stir. "Sora?" The second time was a little louder but there was still no reaction, so Riku took that as a sign that it was safe.

Picking himself up, he carefully crawled backwards and, breathing as lightly as he could, leaned down to place a kiss on the back of Sora's neck. He paused afterwards, teal eyes watching for any movement. When there was none, he leaned over and dropped a line of kisses going across Sora's shoulders, then down his spine until he reached jeans. There he paused, considering whether or not he could risk it, before he gave in and kissed on dimple, then the other. They really were perfect, and, ever so carefully, Riku slipped his tongue out to lick at one of them.

"Mm…"

Eyes going wide, the older athlete froze, his entire body rigid. Shit. Shit, that was a bad idea. He shouldn't have done that. he was going to get caught. Sora was going to know how big of a pervert he was and then it would be game over for their friendship _again _only for good this time, and—

He relaxed to see that Sora hadn't actually woken up, had only sighed and shifted a bit but was still fast asleep.

_Close call. Way to go, Riku._

At least he hadn't woken him. But he was still leaning down, still close enough to place a few more kisses, if he wanted to. Or, hell, it would wake Sora up, but he wanted to drag his tongue all the way up the younger boy's spine just to watch him arch and see if he'd grab onto the blankets. That would be sexy as fuck. But no, it was a terrible idea and no way could he actually do something like that. Not if he wanted to maintain a reputation of not being as big of a pervert as he suddenly seemed to be.

Determined not to lose control of himself again and actually wake the kid up the next time, Riku climbed out of the loft and down the ladder. Thankfully, the movement didn't disturb Sora and he stayed asleep, leaving Riku free to pace the room as he tugged at his hair and cursed at himself under his breath.

"Stupid….bad idea….damn pervert…."

This wasn't helping. It was just making him feel jumpy and nervous. He needed to calm down and to do that he needed to not be in the same room as the boy he had such a huge attraction to. Otherwise he was only going to rile himself up more or worse come up with even more shitty fantasies and that wouldn't help anything.

So, quietly, he grabbed his phone and keys and stepped out into the hallway, shutting the door behind him. No matter than he was wearing something as embarrassing as the outfit Sora had decided to make him wear—there were very few people still on his floor during break and he doubted he'd run into any of them if he went and locked himself in the little study room at the end of the hall.

Only once the door was firmly shut and locked did Riku let out a sigh and lower himself into one of the provided chairs. He couldn't do this. He couldn't be around Sora if he was going to imagine kissing him and then later actually kiss him when he knew he wouldn't get caught. It wasn't right. Sora was his friend. Liking him wasn't supposed to be this much trouble and there was only one person Riku could think of going to for advice, but he really, _really _didn't want to have to ask. His pride might not be able to take it.

_I'm not asking. No way. She'll just yell at me and call me a pervert and then make fun of me because she was right all along. I'm not asking._

_She's the only one who can help. She can help me figure out what to do. Just don't tell her…_every_thing. She doesn't have to know you're a perv._

_How the hell is she supposed to help if I don't tell her the whole problem? It's not worth it._

_You're screwed if you don't._

_I'm screwed if I do._

_So what's the harm in asking?_

The study room was silent as Riku stared at the wall and tried to come up with a reason other than his pride. He couldn't think of anything, so after a few minutes had passed, he opened his phone and scrolled through the contacts until he found the one he wanted, and hit dial.

One ring. Two rings. Three rings. Four. Five. Six. Just as the seventh was starting, it went silent for a second, and then,

"_What's up, Riku? Aren't you supposed to be Sora's slave today? I can't believe he's letting you make personal phone calls."_

Already irritated, Riku let his eyes fall closed and rubbed at his forehead. "He's asleep."

"_Oooh, so you don't have permission to call me. Naughty, naughty!"_

"Shut up, Kairi," the silver-haired athlete growled into his phone. "I didn't call you so you could make fun of me for getting lower scores than Sora on my finals. I called because I need some advice."

"_What is it?"_ immediately, Kairi's tone went from teasing to serious and Riku couldn't help but feel a little relieved that she was taking him seriously.

"How do I tell Sora that I like him without being…" Vaguely, he gestured as he tried to come up with the right word for it. Perverted? Overbearing? Aggressive? Pathetic? "I don't know. But I can't take this anymore. So how do I tell him?"

"_I told myself I wouldn't tell you I told you so, but, Riku, I freaking told you so."_

Riku rolled his eyes but didn't say anything—snapping at Kairi wouldn't convince her to let it go. She'd probably just lecture him about being a sore loser or something along those lines.

"_Now, if you're completely serious about wanting to confess to Sora, I'd be more than glad to help you. Tell me what's going on between you guys."_

Putting a hand over his eyes, Riku steeled himself for the scolding he knew he was going to receive after this. "I've been trying to get him to admit if he likes me but he just gets defensive or shy if I get too flirty. But other times it seems like…I don't know, like he'd let me _do_ him if I wanted. Which I don't, at least, not now, but I can't figure out if he likes me or not because he's got this back and forth thing going on and it's impossible to tell if he means it or not so I just tried to make it obvious that I like him and it doesn't seem to be making any difference. No matter how flirty or suggestive or touchy I get, he acts like I'm just trying to make fun of him and it's so frustrating that I almost grabbed him and kissed him this morning just to make him see that I'm serious. I don't want to do it like that, though, so you really need to help me, Kairi. I'm going nuts."

It was a bit of a rant, but Riku didn't know how else he would have managed to say it all without getting bogged down somewhere or becoming too embarrassed to say it.

"_Well, that was never going to work."_

His heart fell. "You mean I haven't even been close?"

"_No, idiot. Have you forgotten that Sora's actually really sensitive? I know he acts loud and like he doesn't care, but come on, don't tell me you forgot about that fight you two had because you made fun of him too much. Being too forward is just going to make him uncomfortable because he's a lot shyer than he seems. You have to be smoother about it if you want him to respond positively."_

Great. So being flirtatious and touchy was actually making it nearly impossible for Sora to admit his feelings. Fan-fucking-tastic. Why hadn't someone told him that sooner? "How do I do it 'smoothly'?" he asked, almost desperate now because he had the feeling he had a lot of ground to make up if he wanted this to happen any time soon.

"_Well, ask him out. But don't be overly casual about it, or he'll think you're joking. Just…look, if you're this unsure about how to go about it, then don't do anything today. I'll try to come up with something, maybe I'll talk to Sora about how he feels. All right?"_

"All right." He could manage to keep from doing anything more today. At least, he should be able to. His self-control hadn't been the best so far, but it wasn't like Sora was deliberately tempting him, so it shouldn't be too much of a problem. "Thanks, Kairi."

"_No problem. And, Riku?"_

"Yeah?"

"_I told you so."_

Before he could respond, the line went dead and Riku was left scowling at his phone because he couldn't react to Kairi the way he wanted to for slipping that in at the end. Trust that redhead to make sure she got the last word.

When he walked back into his room, the first thing he noticed was that Sora was awake and sitting up in bed, rubbing his eyes as he yawned. And it was adorable.

"Hey." He set his keys and phone down on his desk.

"Hi." Sora ran a hand through his hair, making the brown locks stick up even more crazily than they usually did. "Where'd you go?"

"Uh, bathroom."

"You took your phone to the bathroom?"

Shit. "…yeah. You know, didn't want it to go off and wake you up."

"Oh." The smallest of smiles appeared on Sora's face. "Thanks."

"Yeah. What woke you, anyway? You were sleeping like a log when I left."

His movements slow, Sora began climbing down from the loft. "I got cold. And I need to shower—I don't sleep well when I feel dirty."

_I'll make you feel dirty. Wait, no! Stop thinking like that!_

Riku hid his frustration with himself and smiled charmingly. "Then let's go take a shower."

Nodding, the brunet gathered the things he would need and, with Riku walking just behind him, the two left the dorm and headed off towards the bathroom. They chose the same stall as on the previous Slave-for-a-Day, though there was one major difference. This time, Riku was more nervous than he could describe and Sora didn't seem to have a care in the world.

In silence, they stripped and Riku turned the shower on, getting it to just the right temperature before he held the curtain open to let Sora in first. Once he stepped in, he kept to the side to give his companion as much room as possible, gaze averted in an attempt to avoid any more fantasies starting up. Who knew what would happen if he let his imagination get carried away while they were in the shower together. And, shit, they were naked—it would be all too easy to check Sora out, and it wouldn't be the first time he'd done so. But after what Kairi said, Riku was determined to keep himself in check.

"Riku."

Carefully, the older boy let himself look at the younger, making sure to keep his eyes trained on the brunet's face. "Yeah?"

"Wash my hair for me, like you did last time. It felt good."

Oh, okay. Yeah, he could do that. No problem.

"Sure."

Sora smiled and turned so his back was to Riku, and the teal-eyed boy instantly wanted to kiss the back of his neck again. He resisted though, focusing on opening the bottle of shampoo and squeezing some onto his hand then lathering it into his friend's hair. Instantly, a quiet moan escaped Sora and Riku felt his face turning red all over again. Still, he made sure to rub at the younger boy's scalp with his fingertips and ran his hands through the brown locks just as he'd done last time. By the time he finished, Sora's shoulders had drooped and he looked completely relaxed.

"Wash me, too?" came the quiet request, and Riku only nodded mutely.

The shampoo was rinsed from his hands and he picked up his bar of soap, rubbing it until his hands were covered in white, soapy bubbles. Then, starting at the tops of his shoulders, he began rubbing the suds onto Sora's body. The tops of his shoulders, his neck, then down one arm and the other, back up to his shoulders. Down his spine, up his sides and then down again to coat his entire back. His hands stilled when they reached the shorter boy's hips, and Sora half-turned.

"Riku?"

Without warning, Riku used his hold on Sora's hips to pull the brunet back against himself, making Sora gasp in surprise. Then, before the brunet could move away again, he bit down on that spot where neck meets the shoulder.

"Riku!" Roughly, Sora jerked away from the older boy and spun around, a hand over the spot that had been bitten as he stared with wide blue eyes. "W-what are you doing?!"

What was he doing? He hadn't been thinking…he'd bit Sora…

Embarrassed and a little ashamed of himself, Riku lowered his gaze to the shower floor. "I'm…sorry…I shouldn't have done that."

It was quiet for a few moments as both boys stood, unmoving. Then Sora, without taking his eyes off Riku, stepped into the stream of water, rinsed off, and got out of the shower. Riku listened to him dry off and gather his things, listened to the sound of hurried footsteps until the only sound was the shower running.

"Damn it."

Closing his eyes, he leaned his forehead against the shower wall. He'd fucked up. He'd just promised Kairi he wouldn't do anything more today, and what had he done? Gone and freaking bit Sora on the shoulder, and he'd have given the kid a hickey if Sora hadn't pulled away. Kairi was going to have a cow when she found out, and he knew she would find out. Sora was bound to tell her, and then Riku was going to get hell. He'd probably get hell from Kairi and Roxas, since the blond was going to know what happened, too.

Great. He'd made a complete ass of himself again, and why? Because of the way Sora sighed and how it looked when the bubbles ran down his skin and he was wet from the shower? Yeah, great reason. Not.

"You're an asshole, Riku. You're an asshole and now he isn't going to want to talk to you, so you can forget about asking him out. This is going to take a lot more than an apology to fix."


	48. Chapter 48

Nervous energy coursed through her body as Kairi checked herself in the mirror one last time. Hair, perfect. Makeup, perfect. Outfit, maybe not perfect, but suitable for a first date.

"All right." She turned, smiling at Namine. "I'm ready."

The blonde looked her cousin over. It was true, Kairi looked great, but Namine was still worried. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" she asked quietly, and the redhead nodded.

"Yeah. It's a test date. It'll be fine."

Even though she looked confident, there was a nervous tremor in Kairi's voice that was reflected in Namine's expression. The two girls looked at each other, Namine wearing a simple, warm jacket and gray sweat pants, her feet covered by thick, fluffy socks to protect them from the cold. Oppositely, Kairi had chosen dark blue skinny jeans, the bottoms of which were tucked into her knee-high fur-trimmed boots, and a white top that shimmered just a little as she moved. Simple jewelry and makeup, her hair freshly washed and dried, pinned back out of her face. Her coat sat waiting on her bed, the same materials as her boots.

"Well, you look fantastic. He'll love you." Namine offered a smile, trying to offer the support her cousin was looking for. Her compliment earned her a giggle from the redhead

"That's what I'm hoping for." Turning, Kairi put on her coat and smoothed out her clothes. "Wish me luck."

A nervous smile and she was gone, striding off down the hallway. Gloves from her pockets were quickly pulled on to protect her fingers, snug by the time she reached the front doors. It was snowing, as it should be during Christmas break, and she found herself smiling as she walked towards the main gate to campus. She'd never seen snow before attending school here, and while she'd hated it at first—cold and slippery and slushy—she looked forward to the winter months now. Snow was beautiful.

By the time she reached the front gate, the white flakes had formed a thin layer over her shoulders and sparkled in her hair. There was no sign that anyone else had passed that way in some time, and the sun was near the horizon. It would be dark soon, but Kairi didn't hesitate before passing through the gates and continuing down the road a short ways. Then she stopped, gloved hands in her pockets as she waited in the snow. It was only for a few minutes, and then the low rumble of an engine reached her ears, immediately accompanied by a pair of headlights coming towards her from the school grounds.

Within moments, a sleek black car pulled up next to her and came to a stop. The driver side door opened and a figure stepped out, quickly circling around to stand just in front of her. Smiling, Kairi looked up into icy blue eyes.

"Right on time, Professor."

The man grinned, a rare expression for him, and stepped back to open the passenger side door for her. "Did you think I would be late?"

"No." Pleased by Luxord's display of manners, she offered a smile before sliding into the car. He shut the door for her and went back around to the driver's side, quickly resuming his seat and putting the car back into drive.

"So." Kairi glanced at him through the corner of her eye and unbuttoned her coat; it was warm enough in the car that she hardly needed it. "Where are we going? Your email didn't say."

The man sitting beside her grinned again, his eyes locked on the road. "Then you already know I won't tell you."

Yes, that was true, but she'd had to ask. It was all part of the game, after all, and this date would be no fun if she went along with it all quietly. If Kairi had been the sort to quietly let things happen, she never would've ended up on this date. She'd made this date happen and she was going to play it through just like she'd played through every single one of her interactions with Professor Luxord.

A comfortable silence fell over them. Or at least, it seemed comfortable. Kairi had her hands in her lap and was focused on her breathing so she wouldn't fidget. She couldn't help but glance at the man in the driver's seat, just enough to note that he appeared perfectly calm and relaxed. Of course he did, though. The tall blond was always calm and in control—getting him flustered was a challenge in of itself.

Seeing him like this was strange, now that she thought about it. But she'd been expecting that. it was a sort of strange situation, going on a date with her teacher, seeing him in dark jeans and a nice shirt with a blazer rather than dress pants, shirt and tie. He looked good, there was no denying that. Really, she was convinced this would be the best date she'd ever been on. After teenaged boys who just thought she was pretty, who saw themselves as special because of their parents' money and were immature of selfish in their relationships, Kairi was ready to try something different and maybe a little strange.

_Zzzz….zzzz…zzzz…zzz…_

The buzzing in her pocket almost made the redhead jump, and she offered an apologetic smile when Luxord glanced over at her.

"Sorry."

"It's all right."

Still a little embarrassed, Kairi retrieved the still-vibrating device. What idiot had decided to call her now, of all times? _Incoming Call_ her phone's screen declared, with _Riku_ displayed underneath. Now annoyed, she hit the Answer option and put the device to her ear. "Hello?

"_I fucked up!"_

The voice coming through was so loud she flinched almost jerked the phone away just to avoid going deaf in that ear. "Whoa, okay, calm down. What happened?"

"_I bit him! I…we were showering and he was making me wash him and I don't know what I was thinking but _I bit him!_"_

Slowly, Kairi closed her eyes and put a hand over her face. Really, he had to do this now? "I thought you were going to try being subtle."

"_That's kinda hard when he's naked right in front of me!"_

"Would you stop yelling? You're hurting my ear," she admonished. As much as she understood why the silver-haired boy was panicking, it really was painful or him to be so loud.

Silence came through the phone, then, "Sorry."

Kairi took a deep breath. "Tell me what happened." Please don't let Luxord think she was an air-headed gossip.

"_He woke up while I was talking to you so when I got back he was up and wanted to shower. We showered together last time but I was prepared or that and it was fine but this time I wasn't. Maybe it's cause I had a dream about him last night but today I just…couldn't help it. He made me wash him, Kairi, and he's never been so _suggestive_ before. It was almost like he wanted me to do something."_

A dream? Not something to discuss right now. "Maybe he thought he did but lost his nerve. How'd he react?"

"_He bolted. I tried to apologize_." There was guilt in his tone, even a hint of desperation. _"It's only bee like ten minutes and I'm sure he told Roxas, so he's probably pissed at me. I feel like shit for it. I don't want to lose his friendship again, Kairi."_

"I know you don't." It was quiet in the car as Kairi thought. There had to be a way to fix this without making things terribly awkward and without ruining her date. "Okay. Just…don't do anything for now. Let him calm down. Maybe go to his room later, apologize again. You could try to explain, but I don't know if Roxas would let you."

"_Yeah…"_

"I can't come help you until late tonight or tomorrow," she glanced over to catch Luxord watching her out of the corner of his eye, "but I'll come over then, if you want."

"_Please."_ He was obviously relieved and Kairi smiled to hear it.

"Then I will. Don't worry too much—it'll be fine."

"Kay. Thanks, Kai."

The line when dead and Kairi lowered her phone, sighing quietly. She really hadn't expected to deal with this right now, and talking about it in front of Luxord was definitely an unfavorable situation. But Riku wasn't one for phone calls so she'd had a feeling it would be about something important. Good thing she'd answered, or the athlete might have done something rash.

Letting out a sigh, she opened a new message and sent a short text to Sora to check that he was okay before setting the phone in her lap and looking out the window. The sun had gone down so there wasn't much to see, but it was all she could think to do. Her mind whirled with what Riku had said, what she might be able to do to help when she got back. Sora was sure to be upset—he really was a lot more sensitive than he let on—and Roxas would be pissed and protective of his twin.

"Everything okay?" Luxord's voice broke the silence, making Kairi look at him as she forced a small smile.

"Yes. Some of my friends are having relationship problems, that's all."

The blond looked like he didn't know if he should be concerned, annoyed or amused by the teenaged drama that had taken place a foot away. "I hope it's not too serious."

"So do I."

Silence fell again and lasted for several moments before Luxord cleared his throat.

"I want to make myself very clear, Kairi," he began, tone clipped and businesslike. "This entire idea is hugely inappropriate. I could lose my job over this, you could be expelled. But, while your reasoning for continuing to…pursue…something beyond the typical student-teacher relationship escapes my comprehension, I'm willing to go on this one date. Just one. And no funny business, understand?" Ice blue eyes turned on her and Kairi felt her face warm with a blush.

"Yes." She smiled. "But you'll have to define 'funny business' for me."

"No kissing." The look he gave her then clearly stated that he was referring to the surprise kiss she'd given him so many days ago. "Touching is limited and anything suggestive or inappropriate will end the date immediately."

"All right. Anything else?"

"Not yet."

The response made Kairi laugh quietly though she muffled it with her hand and turned towards the window once more. Luxord was being very serious about this and she didn't want him to think this was all a big joke to her, but at the same time she couldn't help but feel a little giddy. Her efforts were finally paying off!

_Say something. Don't just sit in silence the whole way there. This is the only chance he's giving you—don't waste it!_

But what should she say? She could ask him how his break was going, or why he'd decided to be a teacher, if he had any plans for Christmas. They were such generic questions, though, and the last thing she wanted was to seem ordinary and plain.

"Why did you agree to go on a date with me?" As soon as the words left her mouth, she found herself wishing she hadn't asked and began to worry that their interactions would grow more awkward now.

"I thought I explained it in my email," Luxord replied, tone light as he kept his attention on the road. Even though it was almost pitch black outside save for the headlights, Kairi recognized this as the road away from Kingdom, towards the nearest city. At this rate, they had less than twenty minutes of driving to do before they'd get there. It was exciting—no one had ever taken her to the city on a date before.

"You said you wanted to test how serious I am about being interested in you."

"And that's exactly what I intend to do."

"But how?" she couldn't help but press. All of her subtle hints towards the teacher had gone unnoticed and her more forward gestures were either ignored or reprimanded. Her determination alone should have proved how serious she was, and she was curious how Luxord intended to test her.

"My methods are my secret. Though I'm curious—why did you decide to approach me in the first place?" He looked at her again, those pale eyes giving Kairi the feeling that the blond could see right through her and into her very soul.

"I think you're interesting."

"Interesting?"

"Yes."

"How so?"

"Well," she paused to adjust her coat, "as a teacher, you're strict but not unkind, though my fellow students and I know that you'd be harsh if we acted up in class. You're in complete control of your classroom and you teach in a way that leaves no room for argument. Even the kids who are born asking 'what if' questions don't interrupt you."

"Are you trying to tell me that the only reason you decided to do any of this is because I'm a good teacher?" There was disbelief in his tone, and the suggestion that there had better be more to it or he was turning the car around and driving back to the school.

Kairi merely smiled, blue eyes locked on the professor's face. "Of course not. I also find you very attractive, and I know you think the same about me." It wasn't lost upon her that Luxord's cheeks burned red and he looked like he was chewing on his lip. "I've known that ever since I had detention with you. After that I started to pay a little more attention. I want to know you better than I do as just your student."

"Why? I'm your teacher—there isn't supposed to be any more to it than that. And having detention with someone isn't a very good reason to go out with them," he pointed out, "or to write short stories of questionable content and turn them in with homework or send them in an email."

"But you liked them, didn't you?" the redhead asked innocently, and the older man's face darkened further.

"That's not the point."

"Yes it is. If I hadn't thought I had a chance, I never would have started bringing suckers to detention, I wouldn't have written those stories or kissed you."

"I still don't see why you thought you had a chance."

Smiling, Kairi shifted and settled more comfortably in the front passenger seat. "Let's just say I'm usually pretty good at getting what I want."

"And the thing you want now is me?"

"Exactly."

"That doesn't explain why. There are plenty of boys your age that you should be interested in. Date one of them and let me keep my job in peace." Despite what he said, the blond man didn't sound very enthusiastic about it.

"I've dated boys my age. They're boring and not looking for the kind of relationship I want." Kairi's tone was light but she hoped Luxord picked up on how serious she was when she said it. If this date didn't go well, then she would keep up her end of the agreement and leave him alone. She wouldn't like it, but she would never go back on her word. But that wouldn't mean she would go back to dating her classmates. She wasn't interested in any of them.

"The kind of relationship you want?" Luxord glanced at her again, clearly confused, though he quickly turned his attention back to the road because they'd reached the outskirts of the city and were encountering light traffic. He merged with the other cars, being careful to check all his mirrors first, and matched their speed. "What sort of relationship do you think you can have with me?"

Kairi took a moment to respond, trying to come up with the best way to phrase this so the blond would understand. "I want a _real_ relationship, professor. Not just dates on Friday nights with some boy who thinks I'm cute and wants me to be his perfect little girlfriend. I think I could have a real relationship with you."

It was quiet for several moments, then Luxord let out a heavy sigh. "Kairi, I admire you for your determination, and that you know what you want, but you have to know it isn't possible. I'm your teacher—you called me professor just now. If we were on a date like any normal two people, you would use my name. Even if I wanted to date you, I couldn't. Not while I'm your teacher and you're my student."

_No one would have to know. It could be a secret._

As much as she wanted to say it, the words wouldn't come out. She opened her mouth only to close it again.

"Am I allowed to use your name?" she asked quietly instead.

To her surprise, Luxord actually laughed. "You're asking my permission for something as simple as calling me Luxord, but you kissed me and wrote porn about me without even giving me a warning?" His phrasing made the redhead smile and Kairi felt her cheeks heat slightly.

"It sounds so silly when you say it like that."

"You have to admit this whole thing is ridiculous."

Yes, it was, but she wasn't willing to give up just because it was unorthodox and wouldn't be easy. That much had been obvious to her from the very start. But she'd managed to get this far, so she was certain she could at least get the man sitting beside her to see things from her side. It was obvious he was attracted to her, otherwise he would never have agreed to this and he would have been much firmer in his refusals during her earlier attempts at gaining his attention.

"Maybe, but I think a little ridiculousness is worth it if I'm right."

Luxord shook his head at that but didn't say anything. They were well within the city now, everything lit with streetlights and signs, and Kairi could feel excitement starting to bubble up in her again. In only minutes, they would reach wherever it was the blond was taking them and then their date would start for real.

It was time to prove how serious she was.


	49. Chapter 49

Oh shit. Oh shit.

_What were you thinking? Idiot!_

This was bad. Bad, bad, bad.

"Sora," Roxas watched his brother worriedly and ignored the rather uncomfortable presence in the corner, "will you please tell me what's wrong?"

"I screwed up. Really bad." He was pacing, shoulders hunched up to his ears, hands busy rubbing his face then running through and tugging at his hair, delving deep into his pockets only to yank free and start the process over again. "What was I thinking? I'm such a jerk. He's gonna hate me."

"Who?"

Sora paused, staring at his blond twin until understanding came into Roxas' eyes.

"Oh."

"Yeah."

And the pacing resumed.

"Things didn't go according to plan, then," Roxas ventured to guess.

Oh, but that was the worst part. As upset as Sora was, it wasn't at Riku. He was upset with himself because he hadn't he been asking for it? Telling Riku with everything but words that he wanted something to happen? Yeah, he had, and then he'd panicked and ran for it when the older boy finally made a move. Riku had even apologized, as if he'd done something wrong and Sora hadn't said anything…he was the worst piece of filth on the earth.

_Tease. You did it on purpose and he thinks he messed up but it was you and now things are going to be so awkward. How are you going to handle being around him now? What are you gonna do next time you're in the locker room with him, huh? Nothing, you coward._

"The plan worked fine," he muttered, scuffing his foot against the floor. "I just screwed it up." A frustrated sigh escaped him and the brunet threw himself onto his bed. "I spent all day trying to provoke him and it worked perfectly. I knew it would get to him and then when he finally did something I lost my nerve and I ran. I'm pathetic."

"No," Roxas sat by the other boy and smiled when Sora buried his face in his hip, "you're not pathetic. It was brave of you to try. I never would have." With gentle fingers, he stroked through his brother's hair, trying to soothe him.

"He's gonna hate me." The words were muffled. "I led him on and now he's going to think I was making fun of him or something and he'll hate me."

"Of course he won't hate you. You're best friends."

"Yeah, well, what I did wasn't exactly friendly."

Roxas cast another glance towards the corner and smiled weakly to see Axel staring out the window. The redhead had spent most of the day with him and Sora didn't seem to realize he was there, so Roxas didn't point him out and Axel didn't call attention to himself.

"So apologize and explain."

"Explain what? That I want him to shove me against the wall and kiss me 'til my knees give out?" His description put uncomfortable expression on the other two male's faces. "No way. He'd laugh at me."

"He would not. Obviously, he wants the same thing."

Not sure if he could believe that, Sora kept his face pressed into Roxas' hip and wrapped his arms around the blond's waist. It was comforting to be so close to his twin, to hold onto him. Roxas had always been the steady one, quieter and more thoughtful than Sora. He had a temper, sure, but he kept it in check better than Sora ever could have. And he'd always been the one to calm the brunet down, until they relied on each other more than they did their nanny and parents. Growing up hadn't changed a thing.

"He won't hate you," Roxas promised quietly, still petting his brother's hair.

Sora didn't respond, caught between his want to believe the blond and his guilt over what he'd done to his best friend.

X

She shouldn't have been surprised. Really, she'd known it would be like this, hadn't she? Yes, because this was the sort of thing she wanted.

Kairi was right at home in the restaurant Luxord had picked for their date. It was the sort of place her parents ate at, with neatly folded cloth napkins, silver and crystal, white tablecloths and smartly dressed waiting staff. It was fancier by far than the restaurants in Kingdom.

They'd already ordered, were just waiting for their food to arrive. And the silence between them was well on its way to becoming awkward. Which wasn't at all what Kairi wanted. She wanted this date to go well and if that was going to happen then she was probably going to have to be the one to break the ice. Again.

"All right, Luxord," she said the name with particular emphasis, pleased by the way it sounded and the way the blond tilted his head just slightly to acknowledge that she's spoken, "I suppose we'll have to start this off with the boring, generic questions. So," the redhead leaned forward, placing her elbows on the table and resting her chin on her hands, fingers laced, "what made you decide to become a teacher?"

The man chuckled, amused by her phrasing. "I enjoy history, and politics. They fascinate me."

"But that's not all."

"I believe that learning about the past is the only way to prepare for the future."

"Such a sentimental mindset," Kairi teased lightly, earning a stern look from the blond across from her.

"A practical one. I've spent too many years working for your generation to grow up to be useless fools."

"You don't seem to think very highly of 'my generation.'" It wasn't an accusation; she wasn't insulted. She knew there were plenty of kids her age that fit the label of "useless fools" so there was little point in trying to argue against that.

Hints of a smile played around Luxord's mouth. "A few of you are tolerable."

"Oh, well, that's a relief." She laughed quietly, looking down at the tabletop as she did so. Flirting. They were flirting for the first time. He was finally responding. Thinking it made her want to give herself a little cheer, would have had her wiggling in her seat out of victory had he not been right there—the celebration would come later, when she got back to her dorm, so long as the rest of the date went smoothly.

For now, she contained her excitement and busied herself by sipping her water, though she did keep an eye on the blond. He sat with perfect posture, spine straight and shoulders back, chin tilted down just slightly and eyebrows raised in an expression of polite curiosity but that could easily morph into a grin or smirk. His hands rested on the table, loosely folded; one thumb rubbed back and forth across the other, slow and deliberate. Everything about him radiated maturity, confidence if not slight arrogance, intelligence and humor that might be a little dark. To say the least, he was handsome, and definitely intriguing.

_And he wonders why I'm attracted to him._

Really, was it that hard for him to figure out? He must have been popular when he was in high school, would probably still have been popular if he worked somewhere that exposed him to more people. It was lucky for Kairi that she didn't seem to have any competition for the icy-eyed professor's attention.

Now that she thought about it, though, maybe a little competition wouldn't be so bad, as long as it was with Luxord rather than for him.

"Your turn to start a conversation," she informed him with a twinkling smile that betrayed nothing of her thoughts.

One blond eyebrow went up. "What do you plan to study after you graduate?"

"Drama."

"Acting?"

"And singing."

"What do your parents think?"

"They're thrilled."

"Really?"

"My mother's a singer."

"And your father?"

"Owns the largest chain of performing theatres in the eastern hemisphere."

"Of course he does."

They stared at each other, Luxord still with one eyebrow lifted higher than the other and Kairi with a charming smile in place. He wasn't at all surprised to hear that her parents were well-off and she wasn't boasting the fact—most students at Kingdom High had wealthy parents and the rest were talented enough to receive scholarships. But he'd done just what she'd wanted. He'd challenged her, had sought reason behind her plans and appeared satisfied with her response.

Now they were getting somewhere.

x

It was snowing again, and for now Riku chose to watch the white flakes fall in order to distract himself. All day the snow had started and stopped, gradually covering the entire campus in a white blanket. By tomorrow it would be perfect for a snowball fight, though he had little hope that it would happen. At this point, he might not have the nerve to leave his dorm for a week.

_Don't be a wuss, Riku. You can handle this. It was an accident—you lost control for a second, that's all. That's all you have to say. Apologize and hope he doesn't drop you like a rock._

The fact that Kairi had agreed to help him was a huge relief. Now way would he ever manage to get up the nerve to talk to Sora by himself. His people skills weren't good enough. Hell, he'd ruined his friendship with the younger student with no help from anyone last semester and now he might have done it again.

_You'd better get a grip on your hormones or you're in for a heap of trouble._

He'd never had a problem with controlling himself before. No one had ever gotten to him the way the blue-eyed brunet did. Admittedly, he knew now that his hostility towards Sora during the fall was partially based on his reluctance to acknowledge that he was attracted to the younger athlete. But damn, was he attracted. How could he not be? Sora was the first person who had ever taken Riku's cold demeanor as a challenge and then worked tirelessly to overcome it; he was the first best friend Riku had ever had. Working out wasn't the same without the blue-eyed boy and flirting with him was simultaneously the easiest thing in the world and the worst sort of torture. Ignoring his feelings and being extra moody to cover them up had hurt them both and he'd paid for it, and Kairi had known all along. Riku was convinced she would be able to help him fix this.

Maybe he should go try to apologize again. It'd been almost an hour now. Sora would've calmed down, right?

_Or he's freaking out and Roxas is about to come break my nose._

Riku was stronger than Roxas, bigger and faster, could easily win in a fight against the younger boy, but he still didn't want to face the blond's anger. The twins were, unsurprisingly, extremely protective of each other. If he was acting out of that protectiveness, Roxas wouldn't be easy to handle.

Besides, he didn't want to fight. He would let Roxas hit him, if the blond wanted to. It was no more than he deserved for biting Sora. Just as long as his nose didn't heal crooked or something.

No longer distracted by the snow, Riku turned from the window and started rifling through his videogames. There had to be something he could do until Kairi got back from whatever she was doing. He wasn't sure what she was busy with but as long as she'd be free tonight or in the morning, he'd wait as patiently as he could.

Even as he started up his console and put the disc in the drive, he was half listening for an angry-sounding knock at his door to signal he was about to get his comeuppance.

x

More than satisfied with her meal of shrimp fettuccini that far outdid the food served at school, Kairi relaxed in her chair and smiled at Luxord. "Delicious."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it." He offered a small, crooked, almost confused smile, and Kairi couldn't help but wonder why he looked so unsure all of a sudden. For the entire evening he'd been confident in himself and his opinion of how this date would go. Even while they ate, his comments and responses had bordered on the sarcastic, though they were amused and never bored, to her relief.

_What's he thinking? Is he…enjoying this more than he thought he would…?_

She barely dared to hope.

"Do you have room for dessert?" Luxord asked, flipping open the small menu that had perched on the table throughout their meal. "There's several that sound good."

Kairi shook her head, smiling slightly. "I couldn't eat another bite."

"Ready to go, then?"

"Sure."

Immediately, Luxord took his napkin off his lap and stood, moving around the table to help Kairi to her feet. It was more chivalrous than she'd been expecting, but she merely smiled and took his arm as they made their way through the restaurant to pay at the counter. He didn't let her see what the bill was as he wrote the check, though she knew it had to be fairly high. Nevertheless, she merely followed him outside onto the sidewalk, where everything was covered in a light layer of snow.

"It's beautiful," Kairi murmured, looking at the way the Christmas light that had been put up on the street lamps and on the buildings turned the snow an array of colors.

"It is."

She could feel eyes on her but didn't look, knew he would turn away the moment she did, so she allowed herself only a small smile. "Where to?"

"This way."

Together, he with long, slow strides and she with shorter, faster strides, they headed off along the sidewalk, away from the parking lot where Luxord's car sat waiting. It was almost completely silent, the snow muffling the sounds of their footsteps, and the lack of traffic leaving even the city quiet on this December evening.

Eventually they left the streets behind and passed through an iron gateway, the posts wrapped with green tinsel and lights. Beyond that was a park, the kind that's criss-crossed with paths, dotted with benches and small gazebos, full of well-tended hedges and trees, all decorated to celebrate the season. It would have been pretty enough during the day, but at night it was a breathtaking sight, and Kairi found herself looking around in wonder as she and Luxord slowly made their way along one of the paths. Their breaths were white puffs on the air, only adding to the effect, and she held a little closer to his arm. She'd never done anything like this before.

"Luxord."

"Hm?" He glanced down at her, smiling just slightly.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"This. I know you think I'm a silly high school girl with a crush, and maybe you're right, but whether this works out or not, thank you for taking me out tonight." She looked up at him, smiling, her eyes unusually vivid as they reflected the lights. "It's been wonderful." Her voice was hushed so as not to disrupt the peacefulness of the park, and she felt her cheeks warm slightly as Luxord looked back at her.

"You're welcome." It was sincere and just as quiet a she had been; he placed one gloved hand over hers and they continued down the path.

Soft music drifted towards them, emitting from a series of speakers hidden in the bushes. The pair was soon surrounded by instrumental Christmas music. To Kairi's surprise, Luxord pulled away when they reached a wider section of the path, a lighted gazebo off to one side. The blond bowed slightly, one hand extended towards her.

"Dance with me?"

_Oh my god._

It was so cliché and stupid and sweet that Kairi couldn't help but giggle a little as she accepted the offered hand and curtsied. "Of course."

Hand-in-hand, they walked towards the gazebo and positioned themselves in the center of it, his free hand resting on her lower back and hers on his shoulder. It was a bit of a reach, since he was so much taller than she was, but she managed without having to stretch awkwardly, and smiled up at him as their feet began to move.

He was a flawless dancer, even though it was a simple step that Kairi had learned years ago, and she smiled widely as they spun slow circles around and around and around.

"Very graceful, professor," she teased at one point, when they slowed between a break in the songs. "Your posture is excellent."

Luxord grinned and twirled her, pulled her closer as the dance began again. "Thanks. Not bad yourself."

Time had to be passing but Kairi hardly noticed it. She was too caught up in the dance, the way Luxord smiled down at her and how warm she was now despite the cold. This was perfect, better than she'd imagined when she first read his email about going on a test date.

"You're proving me right, you know," the redhead commented with a playful smile as Luxord twirled her again.

"What do you mean?" Each time they drew apart he pulled her just a little bit closer than before.

"This date is better than I'd imagined. I'll never be able to date someone my age after this."

"You don't have much faith in your peers, do you."

"I've been accused of having too high of standards."

"Nonsense. There's nothing wrong with refusing to settle for less than you want."

Kairi smiled and shrugged as they continued to move. "I guess the problem would be finding someone who meets my standards. Though I'm almost sure I've found him." To her surprise, Luxord blushed a little at that comment and looked down for the next several minutes, only lifting his gaze again when the pink had faded from his cheeks.

"That remains to be seen," he muttered noncommittally, and Kairi wondered if he was reminding himself just as much as he was reminding her that this was nothing more than an experiment. Still, she was confident. Things seemed to be going so well that she was sure she'd passed his test even though he refused to tell her what exactly he was basing his test on.

"Regardless, Luxord, I'm glad you gave me a chance."

The blond nodded and took them in another slow circle around the gazebo.


	50. Chapter 50

"I had a great time tonight."

It was such a generic thing to say, but Kairi meant it, and she wore a hopeful smile as she spoke.

"So did I."

The snow had finally stopped, leaving everything with a pristine coat of sparkling white crystal, perfectly still and beautiful. She and Luxord stood outside the front door of her dorm hall, as he'd insisted on walking her back even though he initially hadn't wanted them to be spotted together on campus. It had been a pleasant drive back, and the walk was, too. So now they stood there facing each other, shy and uncertain.

Now what?

"Well, I should get going. It's late."

Should she shake his hand? Was that too formal? A hug would be strange…she wanted a kiss but had little hope for that. Besides, Luxord looked like he was struggling, too. Then a determined look took over his expression and he straightened his shoulders. With deliberate movements, he gently took Kairi's chin in his hand and leaned down to brush a chaste kiss against her lips.

Electricity ran to the tips of her fingers, made every inch of her tingle.

"Good night, Kairi." The whisper sent a shiver through her and put a blush on her cheeks.

"Good night."

He smiled at her then turned and walked away, quickly disappearing into the darkness. A little dazed, Kairi looked after him for a few moments before she remembered herself and went inside. She wanted to go to her dorm, knew Namine was waiting to hear how the date had gone. First, though, she had to handle the crisis that had made Riku call her those few hours ago.

So she passed her own floor and went straight to the athlete's room without bothering to change first. Any distraction would take too long.

"Riku?" she called softly, knocking, knowing he was probably still awake.

Muffled sounds of movement reached her just before the door opened. Riku, looking tired and disheveled, silently stepped back to let her into the room.

It was spotless, cleaner than she'd ever seen it, and that was saying something.

"Wow. You've been busy."

"I needed something to do with my hands." Riku shut the door and locked it, started fidgeting the moment he turned towards her.

"I see that."

They stared at each other for a few moments, then Riku began to restlessly move around the room. He straightened things, straightened them again then moved onto the next already-straight item.

"Riku."

"Yeah?"

Kairi sighed and sat on the futon. "Tell me what happened."

"We were doing that dumb Slave-for-a-Day thing and he won so I was his slave and he—you know how I made him dress up?"

"Yes." Her expression and tone were disapproving but Riku didn't notice.

"He got me back for that—made me dress like some slutty butler character and kept hitting on me. I swear I thought it would turn into a porno at any moment so I was…anyway. He made me cuddle him last night, which I didn't mind at all. But I woke up when he kissed my collarbone and that's _never_ happened before, then I fell back asleep just to have a dirty dream and I've never had one of those, either. He thought I was having a nightmare…

"Today he made me give him a back rub and I swear he was _trying_ to sound like he was having sex. Seriously, who moans like that just because of a back rub? No one. It was fucking ridiculous."

Slowly, Kairi allowed herself a grin. "He got you all hot and bothered, didn't he." It wasn't a question and Riku didn't deny it. How could he? The truth was obvious.

"He fell asleep and I…kissed his back…a lot…and then I called you. He was awake when I got back so we went to go shower and he had me wash his hair and his back and he was doing that damn moaning thing again and I can't believe how hot he suddenly is to me but I couldn't help it I just yanked him back and bit him and fucking bolted and…I don't know what to do…"

_All right. Breathe._

He felt a little better to have gotten it all out but he was still bursting with nervous energy and fidgeting. Videogames had only kept him busy for so long. Then working out, deep cleaning his dorm, and wasting water in a long, unnecessarily hot shower had consumed his evening. At this rate, he wasn't going to get any sleep.

It was quiet for a long time after he finished, as Kairi thought and Riku waited. She had to come up with something. She had to.

"You apologized right after you bit him, right?"

"Right."

"And you haven't done anything since?"

"No."

"Okay." And she went back to thinking.

Riku started looking for a mess to clean up.

Suddenly, the redhead was on her feet and heading for the door. "I'm going to talk to Sora." She was gone before Riku had a chance to question or object.

As soon as she was alone in the hallway, Kairi sighed heavily and rubbed her forehead. Great. Okay. Talk to Sora. Easy.

She didn't see anyone as she rode the elevator up to the eighth floor then walked to Sora and Roxas' room.

"Sora?" She knocked quietly. "You in there?"

The door opened to reveal Roxas, relief coming into his blue eyes when he saw her. "Hey, Kairi."

"Hi." Leaning, the redhead peered past him into the room and spotted Sora lying on his bed.

"He's dozing," Roxas explained in a low voice. "This thing with Riku really wore him out."

"I'm not surprised. Riku's losing it. Can I come in?"

"Sure." Instead of stepping back, Roxas moved out into the hallway. "Come on."

To Kairi's surprise, Axel appeared in the doorway, comically bundled up, and followed Roxas.

"I'm gonna walk him down."

"See you when you get back." There was an unspoken suggestion that he take his sweet time.

Roxas nodded, then he and Axel headed for the elevator and Kairi went into the twins' dorm. With quiet footsteps, she approached Sora's bed, carefully sat down so as not to disturb him, then began gently running her fingers through his hair. It only took a few moments of this before the brunet shifted and blue eyes fluttered open.

"Mm….Kairi…?"

"Hey, sleepyhead. You didn't answer my text. Doing okay?"

"…text?"

"Mhmm. Where's your phone?"

"Uh…" Sitting up, he looked around the dorm and eventually pointed to where he'd dropped his bag on the floor, along with his coat and shoes. Kairi got up and searched through the pile, eventually locating Sora's phone—it appeared he'd tossed it into the bag haphazardly in his hurry.

"See?" She sat by him again and showed him the message she'd sent after Riku called her in the car.

"Oh. How'd you know?"

"Riku called me."

Instantly, guilt made Sora cringe and he looked away. "Yeah…"

"I already got his side of what happened. Want to tell me your version?" She kept her tone gentle and didn't try to touch him in any way. That wasn't what he needed right now.

The brunet shrugged. "I like him."

Right, but that wasn't all, except Kairi didn't push or try to hurry him, merely waited in silence.

Sora glanced at the door in an expectant way—Roxas should be back soon. "He's extra flirty sometimes. And really…suggestive. It makes me nervous 'cause I've never done anything like this before, but I like it. I'm just not brave enough to do anything back."

A deep breath shuddered in his lungs.

"So when I got such high marks, and knew I was gonna win the bet, I made a plan to…" he trailed off, gesturing vaguely as he tried to come up with the right word. Seduce? Provoke? Invite? "I don't know. But I wanted him to know that he could make a move. I've wanted him to do something for ages. And it worked."

Kairi waited when he fell silent; another deep breath.

"But," there it was, "I guess I didn't expect him to bite me. I thought he'd kiss me or trick me into agreeing to go on a date. But when he grabbed me like that and was…hard…and bit me…I got this weird feeling in my stomach and it freaked me out, so I ran…"

Oh.

An amused yet sympathetic and understanding smile appeared on Kairi's features and she hugged the younger student.

"He hates me, doesn't he," Sora mumbled into her shoulder, and Kairi, petting his hair, shook her head.

"He thinks _you_ hate _him._"

"I don't. I feel awful. I did everything I could think of and then I chickened out. He's right—I'm such a brat."

"No, you got nervous. That's normal."

It was quiet for a few moments, then Sora pulled out of the hug and heaved a sigh. "I don't know what to do."

"Well, do you want him to know you did it on purpose or do you want things to happen by themselves?"

Sora's lips rolled in and he stared around the room. "Uh…probably by themselves." He pointed at himself, smiling sardonically. "Coward."

"You're not a coward, Sora. I'd have been nervous, too. Trust me." Kairi's smile was genuine, and her soothing tone managed to get Sora to relax a bit more. "But you two are both stubborn idiots, so things are going to need a little help getting started. I'll come up with something, okay?"

"Like what?"

"I don't know. First, we need to get you guys hanging out like nothing happened. Just to let each other know that you don't hate each other."

"Yeah."

"So I'll see what I can think up, okay? And you get to sleep."

A bobbing nod was Sora's only response, and he crawled under the blankets as Kairi stood, not bothering to change into his pajamas.

"Night, Sora."

"Night."

She slipped out as quietly as she could, flicking the lights off on her way. There was no sign of Roxas, so he must be loitering somewhere nearby to wait until he thought he'd given them enough time to talk. The hallways were still deserted, completely silent and almost creepy, but her thoughts were too distracted to really notice it. How was she going to set things up for Sora and Riku to finally confess? They were going to be so awkward during meals now…

The door was unlocked when she reached her and Namine's room, so she didn't try to be extra quiet as she went in and locked it behind her.

"Hey. How'd it go?"

Namine was sitting up in bed with a sketchbook propped against her knees, fully ready to go to sleep whenever she got tired enough.

"Perfect. It was perfect."

"You don't sound very happy about it."

Her necklace jingled as she took it off, followed by her earrings and other jewelry. Then she kicked off her shoes, shrugged out of her coat and began replacing her clothes with pajamas. "My date was perfect. Dealing with Riku and Sora's stupid boy-love drama when I got back wasn't."

"Boy-love drama? What happened?"

"Riku bit Sora and it scared him but Sora was trying to get Riku to make a move and just lost his nerve. They're not currently speaking."

"Oh, not again…"

"Yes, again. And I want to fix it before Christmas so you're going to have to help me."

"Kairi, do we have to get mixed up in it? Why not let them figure it out for themselves?"

"Because Riku asked me for help and you know Sora's way too shy about his feelings to do anything."

Closing her sketchbook, Namine carefully dropped it down onto her desk along with her pencil and eraser. "Fine. But not tonight."

"Are you going to sleep already? It's only ten."

"It's almost eleven and yes, I'm going to sleep. You can gush about your date in the morning."

That made Kairi laugh quietly, but she didn't argue, merely finished getting ready for bed then settled under the blankets. "Night, Mi-Mi." There was no response, but the blonde had been quiet for a while and so was probably already asleep, so Kairi just shifted to get a little more comfortable and closed her eyes, focusing on the memory of dancing with Luxord to help her drift off.

X

Oookay this was awkward. Had it been long enough yet? Could he go back? Did he want to? Yes, but…he also wanted to stay.

"Is he gonna be okay?" There was genuine concern in his tone; he looked a little worried.

"Yeah, he'll be fine. Kairi will make sure everything gets straightened out." Roxas looked down at his sock-covered feet, curling and uncurling his toes.

"She puts a lot of effort into you guys, doesn't she." It was cute how shy the blond was acting, made Axel smile even though he knew he was behaving just the same with his hands stuffed in his coat pocket and his scarf pulled up over his chin. He hadn't stepped outside yet, was waiting with Roxas in the hall lobby until the blond decided it was safe to go back to his room. They hadn't said much, but he was enjoying it anyway. "You know, she gave me some advice back when you didn't want anything to do with me."

That made Roxas look up at him, blue eyes confused. "What?"

Damn he loved the color of those eyes. Er…liked. He liked them.

Axel grinned crookedly, scuffed the sole of his boot against the tile floor. "Yeah. She gave me a list of your likes and dislikes so I wouldn't screw up too badly. Came in handy, though I gotta admit, I enjoyed that book way more than I thought I would."

"It's a good story," Roxas said cautiously. "Are you serious? She gave you lists? That's so…it's like a teenaged movie. I can't believe she really did that."

"Well, it worked, didn't it?" the redhead asked, stepping forward to put only about a foot of space between them. Roxas started at the sudden closeness but didn't move away, just peered up at Axel through his eyelashes and wondered at the way the older student was smirking.

"I guess."

"You don't hate me anymore."

"I never hated you."

Chuckling, Axel shook his head, green eyes vanishing behind eyelids for a moment. "Liar. You hated me and everyone knew it."

Well, he couldn't deny that. He had very strongly disliked the senior, at least, and hadn't tried to keep it a secret at all. "Wouldn't you hate me if I did that to you?"

"Naw. I mean, I've known Miss Larxene way longer than you, so I should've known better, but if I'd gotten caught with the note instead of you, I wouldn't have blamed you for passing them with me, even if you were the one to start it. Besides, it's my fault she hates you so much, so I understood you not liking me."

"How is it your fault?"

A pained, self-mocking grin worked its way onto the redhead's face. "Didn't you know? I'm Miss Larxene's disobedient property."

Surprise widened blue eyes. "What?"

"I…got mixed up with her a couple of years ago. When I was done, she wasn't ready to let me go."

"You…what? With Miss Larxene?" He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Axel, the guy who had supposedly liked him since his very first day, had been in a relationship with Miss Larxene? "You mean…you were a teacher's pet? Flattered her to get better grades or something?"

Oh, man, how did he explain this? He didn't want to lie but the truth was so despicable and this was Roxas he was talking to, the one person he didn't want to alienate any more than he already had, but if this had to be something that came up now then he should probably just get it out of the way.

"I was her lover."

Blunt. Great.

Roxas took a step back.

"That doesn't mean I don't really like you," Axel quickly added, seeing that the younger boy was about to make a run for it. "I do. I really, really like you. And Miss Larxene hates that. She thinks you're stealing me from her or something, which is bull shit because I've been trying to get her to leave me alone for almost a year now. Whatever she told you about me isn't true and whatever I had with her was…wrong and gross and just thinking about it makes me sick and I can't believe I was so stupid…" he trailed off, staring at Roxas with pleading green eyes, hands outstretched a little in a silent offering of apologies that he couldn't voice.

"You had sex with a teacher." He seemed to be saying it to test how it felt.

Slowly, Axel closed his mouth and nodded.

"More than once."

Another nod.

"And she wants to keep being your lover even though you don't want to."

Two nods in a row.

Roxas took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Okay. Um. That's weird. And I kind of feel like I need to shower or something. But okay."

"You…you're not mad?" Axel couldn't keep the mild surprise out of his voice.

"No. I mean, I'm grossed out and suddenly I understand why no one can stand her, but I mostly feel bad for you I guess. You can't have known she'd be crazy going into it, right?"

The senior managed a laugh at that. "I was a dumb kid who thought it'd be cool to have a fling with the hot teacher. Call me an idiot for the rest of my life and I'll never argue because I know how stupid I can be."

"Right. So, no, I'm not mad. But you like me, and she hates me for that, and that's going to make school here suck really bad."

"Yeah. Sorry." He rubbed the back of his head, apologetic. "Wish I could fix it, but she's determined to 'take me back from you' or some shit. She wants to use you against me."

"What, be extra mean to me to force you to listen to her? Yeah, that'll work." The sarcasm helped lighten the mood and both boys managed weak smiles. "I'll just keep my head down. Meanwhile, you can still come over whenever you want."

"Really?"

"Really."

Wow, he hadn't thought it would go like this. He wasn't exactly shy about his past—most students knew about it because it had been a huge scandal that got covered over—but telling Roxas had been some dark, terrifying moment in the future. Except it had happened now, and he'd said it, and the blond didn't hate him for it. It had definitely gone better than he ever would have hoped.

"Thanks, Rox." Grinning because he couldn't stop himself, Axel moved forward and wrapped the smaller male in a hug, lifting him off the ground in the process. At first, Roxas tensed and tried to jerk away, but after a moment he relaxed again and returned the hug.

"You're welcome." He was lowered back to his feet but Axel didn't let go yet, held the hug for a few moments longer. They hadn't touched very often. This was a special occasion.

"Okay." The redhead laughed as he let the blue-eyed student go, smiled down at him for a moment before stepping back and turning towards the door. "It's probably safe for you to go back up there now. I'll see you at lunch tomorrow, all right?"

"Yeah, see you."

Axel waved then left the lobby, and Roxas began the journey back upstairs to his room. He was still a little shaken by finally learning why the blonde teacher hated him so much, but he also felt warm for an entirely different reason. No one had ever hugged him like that. Mostly because he'd never been very close to anyone but Sora and his parents, but still. Axel had _picked him up_, just because he didn't hate the senior for making a mistake before they even met. It had been warm and comforting and how had he never realized the lanky redhead would be strong enough to do something like that? There was a lot of lean muscle under all that bulky winter clothing.

_Oh no, am I blushing?_

He put his hands to his cheeks and, sure enough, they felt much too warm to not be blazing red.

_Perfect. Sora had better be sleeping._

No way did he want anyone to witness that a simple hug could make him blush like this.


	51. Chapter 51

Soft music drifted through the apartment, making Luxord smile as he sipped his coffee. History was his chosen topic of study and he could never refuse a good historic novel, but there was nothing as good as music when it came to relaxing, and considering how long it had taken him to fall asleep the night before, a bit of Beethoven while he had his coffee was basically required. He let his eyes close as he listened to the notes, felt the warmth seeping through the mug and into his fingers. It was freezing outside, to be sure, so he had no plans to leave his apartment today. His little adventure the night before had been enough to let him enjoy solitude for a while.

He'd thought it was bad enough that he'd even indulged Kairi by agreeing to go on a test date with her, but that hadn't gone at all like he'd expected. Dinner and a walk, sure. Typical date activities, especially for this time of year. But dancing with her, and actually be charmed by the teenager, well, he hadn't expected that. Kairi was pretty enough and she did well in his class, but Luxord was convinced that he was just a fad to her, that she was bored with boys her age and was pursuing him for entertainment purposes. At least, that's what he'd thought until last night.

This wasn't going to be as easy as he'd been expecting.

The sounds of his Beethoven playlist were interrupted by the harsh rings of his cell phone, sitting off to the side on the table. Luxord stared at the device for a moment, annoyed that someone was calling him while he was trying to enjoy his coffee. His annoyance quickly turned to dread when he checked the caller I.D., and he paused the music before picking up the phone.

"Hello?"

"_Good morning, Professor."_

"Good morning, Vice Principal. What can I do for you?"

"_Principal Xemnas would like a word with you, if you're not otherwise engaged."_

Just what he needed, a call from Xemnas while he was trying to relax. "I can speak with him now." He didn't want to, at all, but ignoring the Principal would only bring him trouble later on. Better to deal with whatever the man wanted now.

"_One moment, please."_

Luxord waited in silence as the phone presumably changed hands, or the line was put on hold so Xemnas could pick up in his own office. He assumed the two were in their offices, even though they had less than a week until Christmas and he didn't understand why they would want to spend the break working. He personally had taken care of all his work within the first two days so that he could relax the rest of the holiday. Xemnas was probably going to interrupt that relaxation, but he tried to keep an open mind.

"_Good morning, Professor Luxord. Are you enjoying your holiday?"_

"Yes, sir, I am."

"_Good, good. And have you considered my proposal?"_

"Sir?"

"_In regards to your…relationship,_" the word was said carefully as to convey exactly the right meaning, _"with the student Kairi. Having not received any form of payment from you in order to allow it to continue, I had thought you decided to end it."_

Shit, did he know about the date? It had just happened last night. Did the man have nothing better to do than to spy on his teachers?

"I'm not in a relationship with anyone, Principal," the blond professor replied calmly.

Xemnas chuckled on the other end of the line. _"Then I presume you were merely thinking of Kairi's safety when you returned her to the dorms last night."_

The bastard knew.

"I happened upon Kairi during my return to campus and offered to drive her due to the cold. Yes, I walked her back to the dorm hall to make sure she returned safely."

"_Was the kiss you gave her also a means to ensure her safety?"_

"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about, Principal Xemnas."

"_Of course not. But unless you wish to find employment elsewhere, Professor, I suggest you either accept my deal, or you cease this flirtation before someone gets hurt. Good day, Professor."_

The line went dead and Luxord sat at his kitchen table with the phone held to his ear for several long moments. Thoughts whirled through his head, panic and dread and anger. That had been a clear threat and Luxord didn't take kindly to being spoken to in such a patronizing, disdainful way. Being spied on so closely that Xemnas knew about him walking Kairi back to her dorm was enough to make him grip his phone a little too tightly.

Slowly, he set the device on the table again and leaned back in his chair as he let out a breath. This was not good. What was he going to do? He'd been charmed despite himself last night and had half decided that it might be worth trying to have something with Kairi. Now, though, the thought of losing his job, of maybe never being allowed to teach again, overwhelmed him.

_I can't. It wouldn't work._

He liked Kairi, that much he knew to be true, and was willing to believe that she genuinely liked him as well, but that wasn't enough. Anything between them couldn't possibly end well and he'd known it from the beginning. He knew it and Xemnas probably knew it. There was only one real problem.

How was he going to make Kairi understand?

X

Wiggling slightly, Demyx sat on the edge of his chair with his hands clasped in his lap. His laptop was set up in front of him, his webcam on and ready as he waited. And waited. It felt like an eternity to sit there in forced patience, just staring at the screen. The only program he had running was something Zexion had helped him set up, one that they were going to use to videochat during break. That was why he was so impatient—he wanted to see his boyfriend.

_Ding!_

_The Cloaked Schemer has logged in._

Zexion's chosen username made Demyx fight back a grin. He'd never seen the older boy in a cloak, but he Zexion would probably wear one if he had the chance. The Schemer part made a little bit too much sense when it came to describing his impressively intelligent partner. For his username, Zexion had helped him choose "The Melodious Nocturne," and Demyx couldn't deny that he rather liked it. It reminded him of how Zexion called him a meadow lark, and that made him happy.

_Call from The Cloaked Schemer_ flashed on the center of his screen and Demyx hurried to click _Answer with Video._ A loading signal appeared, quickly followed by a large box. His own face looked back at him from the bottom right corner of it, looking excited and eager as a larger image appeared. Zexion soon took up the majority of his screen. Demyx's first reaction was to smile, but a frown soon took over his features and he leaned forward to peer at the image of the senior.

"_Hey, Dem."_ Zexion smiled tiredly. His blue hair was hidden under a black cap, only visible where bits showed by his ears. The bright, observant look was missing form his eyes, under which sat dark, bruise-like bags. Even his shoulders sagged, and the room he was sitting in was dim and looked dirty, from what Demyx could see.

"Zexion, are you all right?" He could help but be concerned. The senior had been gone barely a week and he looked like he'd been run ragged.

"_I'm fine."_

"You look exhausted."

Zexion's eyes flicked to the side as he nodded slightly. _"I've been working a lot."_

"I didn't know you had a job."

"_It's temporary, just for break and maybe over the summer."_

Even though Zexion was older and seemed like he knew what he was doing, Demyx started to worry more and more the longer he looked at him. It was unnerving to see cynical, sarcastic, smart, and surprisingly sweet Zexion in such a state. The senior looked like he might fall asleep where he sat.

"All right," Demyx said slowly, relaxing in his chair. "I miss you."

"_I miss you, too, lark."_

The pet name helped ease the blond's nerves and he managed a small smile. "You better not open your present before Christmas."

"_I wouldn't dare. Has Axel dropped yours off yet?"_

"No, but I can go get it from him later."

"_All right."_

"_Zexion, here's your food."_ A stranger appeared behind the teen, a woman holding a plate with a burger and fries.

"_Thanks, Mom."_ Zexion took the plate and set it nearby, but Demyx hardly noticed. He was too busy examining the stranger, Zexion's mother. She was shorter than Zexion was, her hair a black that was dull but had probably been shiny and soft once. There were bags under her eyes, too, though they weren't as dark as Zexion's. Her irises were the same shade of blue as her son's, and Demyx say a distinct similarity in the shapes of their faces. As tired as she looked, it was obvious that she'd been very beautiful once and would still be if given the time.

"_Who's that, Zexion?"_ she asked when she noticed what was on her son's computer.

"_This is Demyx."_

"Hi," the blond greeted her, a little shyly.

"_Oh! Hello, Demyx. Zexion's told me a lot about you. I'm Akira, his mother." _She leaned closer to Zexion and lowered her voice, _"He's just as cute as you said."_

Demyx's face turned red and Zexion looked mortified.

"_Mom! He can hear you!"_

"_I know."_ Akira smiled and waved. _"It was nice to meet you, Demyx."_

"Nice to meet you, too," the junior mumbled, still embarrassed. She was gone a moment later and the silence was filled by Zexion eating. Despite his obvious fatigue, he ate quickly and had finished the burger in only a few minutes.

"Don't choke, Zex," Demyx cautioned when the older boy began devouring his fries.

"_I don't have a very long break."_

"Do you have to go soon?" There was no hiding his disappointment.

"_Yeah, but I can talk again tonight when I get home."_

"What time?"

"_I'm off at eleven."_

Hesitating, Demyx bit his lip. "I don't want to keep you up."

"_I don't work until noon tomorrow, so it's okay if I stay up a little late."_

"Okay."

"_Great. I have to go back to work, so I'll see you tonight. Don't forget to get your present from Axel."_

"I won't."

"_Bye, Dem."_

"Bye."

Zexion flashed a smile before the call ended and Demyx was left looking at an empty box. He'd known the call would be short but that had been almost painfully quickly. At least they would get to talk again tonight, hopefully for a little longer.

Sighing, the blond closed out of the program and shut his laptop. Now what was he going to do? His dorm was almost completely silent as he sat looking towards the window. The sun was shining, the sky a pale blue. It was probably just as cold now as it had been an hour earlier when he'd ventured out for lunch.

With nothing else to do, he might as well got to the senior hall and see if Axel had his present from Zexion.

It was a matter of minutes to don his coat and scarf, his hat, gloves, and boots. When he was fully insulated against the cold, Demyx made sure he had his phone and keys, locked his door, and started the familiar trip from his room to Zexion's. Usually, the senior went to Demyx's room since he had no roommate for them to bother, but they had on occasion spent an evening in the senior hall with Axel. The redhead was friendly but Demyx was always slightly nervous around him, mostly because the older boy was so blunt and outspoken. This would be the first time he'd ever gone to see him by himself.

As he'd expected, the outside air was almost painfully cold on his cheeks and nose, though he was quick to pull his scarf up and his hat down so only his eyes were showing. It was a short walk to the neighboring hall but he still hurried. Demyx wasn't at all used to the cold even after his previous winters spent at the school, so it was a relief to feel the blast of heat when he opened the door of the senior hall and stepped inside. By the time he reached the elevator, he'd already stripped off his gloves and shoved them into his pockets, unwrapped his scarf, and unzipped his coat. There was no reason to stay bundled up during the short time he meant to spend there.

Just like the junior hall, the senior hall seemed deserted. So many students had gone home to spend Christmas with their families that campus was practically empty. He didn't see or hear a single person once he stepped out of the elevator and walked along the hall, though music was audible through the door, which meant Axel was inside.

Demyx knocked twice, loudly so Axel would hear it over the music. Within seconds the sounds stopped, and the door opened a moment later.

_Whoa._

He stared. He couldn't help it. Anyone would have.

"Oh, hey, Demyx. How's it goin'?" The senior leaned one shoulder against the door frame, completely comfortable even as the younger student finally managed to avert his gaze.

"Fine. Um. I can wait."

"What for?"

"You to dress." He gestured vaguely and Axel chuckled.

"Oh. Well, come on in."

_What._

Confused, Demyx followed the redhead into the dorm room and sat at Zexion's abandoned desk. Axel, meanwhile, vanished into the closet.

"So, what brings ya, Dem?" his muffled voice asked, accompanied by shuffling sounds.

"Zexion said I was supposed to come get my Christmas present from you."

"Oh, shit, I was supposed to deliver that, wasn't I." Axel reappeared, now wearing athletic shorts. It was better than the towel he'd had wrapped around his waist when he'd first opened the door, but he was still shirtless. At least he wasn't still dripping. "Caught me right after my shower."

"Sorry."

"Naw, it's fine. Here." Turning, he held out a gift bag with red and green tissue paper sticking out of the top. Demyx took it and held the bag carefully, his attention drawn to the tag hanging from one of the paper handles.

_To my Lark_

_Merry Christmas_

_-Zex_

"Thanks."

"No problem. Want some cocoa?" the older student offered as he moved towards the fridge in the corner. "Keep you warm for your walk back."

Demyx smiled and set the gift bag on Zexion's desk for safe keeping. "That sounds great."

"Cool." A few moments later, the cocoa maker Axel had set up on top of the microwave began to whir quietly as it mixed the powder with the water he'd put into it. "This thing'll make us a couple mugs each."

"Perfect."

Content to wait for the machine to do its work, Axel finally decided it was time to put on a shirt and Demyx managed to relax a little bit more.

"How are things going with Zexion?"

"Great. I'm really happy."

"Good. I gotta admit, when he started acting weird the last thing I expected was for him to tell me he had a crush on someone. I joked about it when he started spending all that time in the library but I never really thought you were why. When he told me about the Masquerade—"

The mention of it made Demyx blush and he looked down at his hands, embarrassed because he'd never told anyone what happened at the Masquerade, about Zexion dragging him off and kissing him against that tree.

"—I wasn't sure what to tell him." Axel paused, chuckling quietly. "I didn't even think Zexion _could_ like someone. Sort of thought he was asexual."

Asexual? No, no, Zexion wasn't asexual. They'd done too much.

"He isn't," the blond responded quietly, and Axel turned to smirk at him.

"Well, you would know, wouldn't you."

Demyx's ears burned and he bit his lower lip. This was why Axel made him nervous. The redhead had no qualms about saying things to embarrass him. At least he wasn't mean about it. "Right. So, uh, are you still trying to make things work with Roxas?" He'd learned of the green-eyed senior's affection for Roxas during one of the rare evenings he and Zexion stayed here, and while he hadn't spent time with the younger blond in a while—since he started dating Zexion, really—he understood why someone would like him. Roxas was easy to like.

"Yeah." There was pride in the older student's tone and he smiled a little. "He found out about Larxene last night and took it way better than I thought he would. I think I might actually have a chance with him, you know? If I can keep this up and don't fuck myself over again."

"If he knows about Larxene then it shouldn't be that hard, right?"

"Right, but if it gets really bad then he might not think it's worth it. I have to find a way to keep it from getting that bad," Axel pointed out, "and Larxene is gonna hate it."

"Yep."

They were quiet for several moments as they waited for the cocoa to finish. Axel filled two mugs and offered one to the younger student, which Demyx accepted with a quiet word of thanks. The silence continued as they drank.

"Axel." Demyx tapped his fingers against the sides of his mug.

"Yeah?"

"What does Zexion think is sexy?"

"What?" Axel gave him a puzzled look and Demyx felt his face heating in a blush.

Lowering his gaze, the blond fiddled with the gift bag. "I want to do something special for him when he gets back."

"You want to seduce him."

Embarrassed, Demyx nodded, and a grin spread over Axel's face.

"This is gonna be great."


	52. Chapter 52

So they were doing this again.

The uncomfortable body language, forced smiles and strained greetings. Despite the last several days, Sora and Riku hadn't managed to get back to normal. They were visibly uncomfortable when the group of friends met in the lobby of their dorm hall before setting out on the short trip to the cafeteria, avoided making eye contact and mumbled short greetings.

It was just the five of them for now, Roxas and Sora and Kairi and Namine and Riku. In a close bunch, they kept scarves up over their faces rather than try to talk to one another. The evening air was blistering cold so they moved with hurried steps over the frozen, snow-covered ground, boots crunching loudly. Flurries over the last few days made everything sparkle in the fading sunlight; it'd be dark by the time they all got back to their dorm hall.

With relief, the five sophomores entered the cafeteria and let out a collective sigh. The blast of hot air that hit them when they first opened the door was enough to chase the chill away and they began stripping off their protective layers before they were so much as ten feet inside the door.

"Hey."

They all looked up at the familiar voice, still busy with their clothes.

"Hi." Roxas offered a small smile to the tall redhead, who grinned back at him.

"How're you doing?"

"Thawing, so I'm good."

That earned a small laugh from the senior, and Axel let his gaze wander over the other sophomores. He didn't miss the way Sora and Riku were all but avoiding each other, which meant they hadn't worked things out yet.

"Demyx's gonna be late." Green eyes focused on Roxas again. "He's web-chatting with Zexion."

"All right."

Now with Axel in tow, the group continued on into the actual cafeteria and headed towards one of the larger tables. There would be plenty of chairs left for Demyx to choose from once the blond junior arrived, and they let themselves spread out more than they usually would have. With so few students on campus, there was no reason to confine themselves. Coats and scarves and gloves and the like were abandoned on the extra chairs and the friends separated to find whichever serving line had the food they were most interested in. Unsurprisingly, Axel followed Roxas.

"So what's up with those two?" the tall senior asked, jerking his thumb towards the line Sora was in and pointing with his other hand to Riku's place in a third line.

"They haven't made up from the biting incident yet."

"Still?" Axel was surprised. "I thought you were all just waiting for them to start dating. Why is this such a big deal?"

"Because they're both stubborn cowards." There was sympathy in Roxas' tone despite the almost harsh words he used to describe his twin and friend. "Kairi's supposed to be coming up with something. Sora doesn't want to admit that he was trying to provoke Riku 'cause he thinks Riku'll get mad. Riku thinks Sora's uncomfortable around him, which is true. It's a mess."

There was an almost impressed air to the way Axel lifted his eyebrows. "Really. Damn."

"Yeah. I hope they'll at least knock it off for tonight. It's Christmas Eve and if they keep being painfully awkward then it won't be as much fun." Lifting his chin, the blond examined the options for dinner and smiled at the server. "Green bean casserole, please, and mashed potatoes with gravy."

"Gift exchange is in your room, right?" Axel stepped forward once Roxas moved out of the way. The school was making an attempt to give the students a stereotypical "home-cooked Christmas dinner," so there were dishes like the casserole and potatoes Roxas got, along with stuffed green peppers, fresh baked dinner rolls, honeyed ham, and seasoned goose. "Ham and stuffed peppers, thanks."

"Merry Christmas!" The server smiled cheerfully at the pair as Roxas and Axel walked away.

Weaving their way through the few dozen other students who'd remained on campus, the two students carried their plates to where the drink machines lined a wall and took a moment to survey the options.

"They put out mini marshmallows for the hot cocoa," Axel pointed out, immediately choosing an off-white mug and managing, with one hand, to fill it with the steaming brown drink.

"Sweet." Watching the older boy add marshmallows to his drink was enough to convince Roxas that cocoa sounded great. It was even the frothy kind, which meant it was the best kind. However, he didn't think he could manage to hold the mug and press the dispenser button at the same time without burning himself—his fingers weren't nearly as long as Axel's, after all—so he set his plate down on the counter as he picked a mug and filled it with cocoa. As many marshmallows as he could fit were piled on top of the froth before he retrieved his plate and followed Axel's lanky form back to the table. Sora was the only one back, his plate piled with fries and cheese pizza with stuffed crust, though he took one look at the mug in Roxas' hand and was out of his chair.

"Marshmallows!" And the brunet was gone, disappearing into the thin crowd of students to get his own mug of cocoa.

"Weirdo." His eyes turned in the direction Sora had just gone, Riku approached the table and set his plate down. Absently, his hand searched the air for the back of his chair, eventually finding it and pulling it back so he could sit. There wasn't an ounce of expression on his face, but he still hadn't looked away from the last spot Sora had been visible; Roxas and Axel exchanged a look.

"Sora loves marshmallows," Roxas explained pointlessly just to have something to say.

Finally bringing his attention back to himself, Riku sat and scooted his chair closer to the table. "He loves sugar in general."

"He's gotta get his energy from somewhere."

"Who does?" Kairi and Namine returned with matching plates of casserole and goose with cups of what looked like hot apple cider and sat side-by-side across from Roxas and Axel.

It was strange, sitting this way. Usually, Sora sat by Roxas, with Axel on the blond's other side, and by Sora was Riku's spot, then Kairi then Namine, and finally Demyx and Zexion completed the circle. Occasionally they were joined by Ariel or Hayner, and then would draw up an extra chair between Namine and Demyx or between Sora and Roxas. But Ariel and Zexion and Hayner had gone home for the holidays, and ever since Riku had bitten Sora, the silver-haired athlete had placed himself at least three seats away from the younger student and thrown off the entire arrangement. No one said anything, though, because no one wanted to be the one to bring up why the two boys were so uncomfortable around each other. Some of them knew the whole story and the rest were aware that _something _had happened between the two but weren't nosy enough to find out what. It was probably better that way—Sora and Riku would both have been mortified if news of their misadventure spread around the school.

"Sora." Roxas took a bite of his casserole and paused to savor it. He loved green bean casserole, especially when it had the crispy onion things on top. "He's going to come back with a mug of cocoa and a cup full of just mini marshmallows."

"Of course I am!" With a wide grin, said brunet resumed his seat and, just as Roxas had said, placed two mugs by his plate. Cocoa and marshmallows. His friends watched in quiet amusement as he slurped up the froth from his cocoa and replaced it with as many marshmallows as he could fit.

"What are you going to do with the rest of them?" Namine asked, confused as to why anyone would want way more marshmallows than they could possibly use for a single mug of cocoa.

Without a word, Sora grinned and picked up one of the marshmallows. His head tilted back and he tossed the sweet into the air, expertly catching it in his open mouth.

Kairi smiled and rolled her eyes. "Of course."

"Can I try?"

"Sure!" Sora held the cup out and Namine selected one of the marshmallows. She looked nervous for a moment before she tried to copy what the brunet had done; the marshmallow bounced off her nose and landed on the floor to roll under the table. Embarrassed at her failure, Namine blushed as the rest of the students laughed. But her attempt led to everyone else wanting a turn, and Sora feigned despair.

"I'll run out of marshmallows in two minutes at this rate!" he lamented, cradling the mug to his chest and putting on the saddest expression he could manage.

"Shut up and share, Brat," Riku half-scolded the younger athlete. There was almost a pause after he said it, seeing as he'd said barely a word since they'd met up in the sophomore hall lobby, and hadn't called Sora "Brat" in days. But the pause was stopped before it could start by Sora sticking his tongue out at the older boy. One of Riku's eyebrows went up and the corner of his mouth twitched as he tried not to smirk. He wanted to say something teasing and maybe a little suggestive but held it back. Not after what he'd done and how weird things had been. But damn he wanted to. He missed the teasing and the flirting. It was Christmas Eve and he couldn't even flirt with the kid he liked.

_Oh, yeah, you're a big tough guy, Riku. Nervous to talk to Sora, of all people, just 'cause you've got a crush._

Yeah, he was nervous to make things worse by being too forward like he'd already been stupid enough to do. So he held himself in check and crossed his arms over his chest. "Share."

Rolling his eyes, Sora sighed dramatically. "Fiiine." He was pouting as he passed the mug to Roxas, and he watched it travel from person to person as everyone took a few marshmallows. It only took a few moments to circle around and back to its original owner, and Sora pulled a melancholy face as he looked into the mug to see that nearly half of his marshmallows were gone.

"Should we take turns?" Roxas asked, his hand cupped around his few little white sweets. "So we can all see how we do?"

"Sure." Axel nudged the blond's arm. "You first."

The face Roxas made said that he hadn't meant he wanted to go first, but everyone was looking at him expectantly so he sighed and picked one of the marshmallows. For a brief moment, he looked over and met Sora's gaze; the brunet fished a marshmallow out of his mug and grinned.

"Same time?"

"Same time."

Together, the twin brothers leaned back in their chairs, tilted their heads back, and tossed. Instead of straight up, though, the marshmallows curved to the sides and, with just a little bit of shifting, Roxas caught the one Sora tossed, and Sora caught the one Roxas tossed. There was some clapping as they straightened, grinning and chewing the squishy little treats.

"We've spent a lot of hours with little snacks like these," Sora said in response to the raised eyebrows he and Roxas were receiving from Axel and Riku.

Roxas nodded his agreement. "Plenty of practice." Then his blue eyes turned on Axel. "Your turn," he said, imitating the tone the senior had used when he nominated Roxas to go first.

As casual as anything, Axel tossed his marshmallow straight up and leaned forward, catching it on his tongue and letting it sit there long enough for everyone to realize what he'd done before he ate it.

"Show off," Roxas muttered, and the redhead laughed before slinging an arm around the younger student's shoulders.

"Aw, don't be jealous, Rox," Axel teased, and Roxas gave him a withering look that faded after a moment.

"Shut up," the blond said quietly, gaze lowering as he pushed against Axel's side in a friendly way.

Behind his hand so that Roxas and Axel wouldn't see, Sora pretended to gag and got slapped on the arm by a blushing Roxas for his troubles.

"Hey!" Sora rubbed at his arm as if it were actually hurting him and whined pitifully, his lip sticking out as he widened his eyes at his brother. "Why'd you do that? I'll bruise!"

Without so much as blinking, Roxas looked his brunet brother straight in the eye. "So get someone to kiss it better."

Shocked silence overtook the table. Sora's mouth moved uselessly as he tried to come up with a proper response, his face quickly turning red. Hands over her mouth, Namine held in a bout of giggles and Kairi bit her tongue painfully hard to keep from cracking a smile. Axel was looking at Roxas like he'd never realized the blond had quite that much of an attitude and he was glad to have seen it in action. The only one who wasn't looking at the brothers was Riku, his head bowed slightly and his gaze locked on his plate. His hair had fallen forward enough that his face was hidden, which he was grateful for because otherwise it would have been way too obvious that he was blushing just as badly as Sora was.

He knew he was the "someone" that Roxas had said for Sora to get to kiss his arm better, and if he was honest with himself, he wouldn't mind filling that role. But he also knew that he would never be able to kiss any part of Sora without _looking _at him, the kind of look that would give away all his thoughts, and that would be way, _way _too embarrassing for dinner. But oh he really wouldn't mind it.

Eventually, Axel cleared his throat. "Uh, Riku, it's your turn."

It was still a little tense from Roxas' comment as the silver-haired sophomore tossed a marshmallow and caught it. Simple and quick, no showing off or tricks, and he lowered his head again as soon as he was done. His focus was on his food and he didn't bother watching as Namine tried to catch a marshmallow for the second time. This one hit her top lip and bounced so that it fell into her lap.

"Closer!" Sora congratulated her. "You'll get it in no time, Namine!"

"Thanks." She was shy for the compliment but genuinely pleased by it, and hid her shyness by picking up the marshmallow and eating it as she turned to watch Kairi try.

"I've never considered food something to be thrown," the redhead mused, squishing one of the marshmallows she'd taken between two of her fingers. "Oh, well." With a shrug, she lobbed the marshmallow and had to lean quickly because it veered to one side, causing her to bump into Namine. Both girls yelped as they nearly tipped their chairs; the marshmallow fell to the floor and rolled slightly before coming to a stop. Now both red in the face, the cousins righted themselves as Sora laughed at their near-collapse. Once she was upright again, Kairi gave the brunet a look that could only be described as disdainful and made a show of fixing her shirt.

"Not all of us had countless hours with nothing to do but play with our food."

"Some of us know how to have _fun,_" Sora countered, throwing his arm around his twin despite the fact that Axel had never taken his away. It worked, though, because the three boys all leaned in closer to each other and grinned toothily at Kairi until she couldn't hold her aloof expression anymore.

"Idiots," she said affectionately.

There were a few shaking heads and smiles and rolled eyes as Sora, Roxas, and Axel exchanged high fives for having won such a pointless victory. But the temporary stupidity of the students had relieved the awkward tension that had been plaguing them all week, so it was a welcome sort of stupidity. They finished their meals in relative quiet, only talking occasionally because they were all too focused on eating to bother with conversation. When Demyx finally arrived, flustered and apologetic because he'd been so late, there was a bout of noisy greetings and jokes, some light teasing about the blond being distracted by his boyfriend. That didn't last long, though, as Demyx went to get food and dedicated himself to eating once he returned. Besides, they had all agreed previously to spend Christmas Eve together in Sora and Roxas' room—there would be plenty of time for talking once dinner was out of the way.

Eating took nearly another half an hour, and then, one by one, the students set down their silverware, wiped their fingers and mouths, and leaned back in their chairs.

"I'm stuffed," Axel announced, hands resting on his still-flat stomach. "Couldn't eat another bite."

Roxas glanced at the older boy but didn't comment. He was completely full, too, and honestly wasn't looking forward to the walk back to the dorm hall.

"I don't wanna go outside." His eyes closed, Sora let out a deep sigh and stretched his arms back behind his head. "Let's just stay here."

"I don't think they'll let us." But Kairi obviously wasn't any more motivated to get up than the boys were, and no one contradicted either statement. Still, it was only a few more moments before the students began to shift in their chairs. Riku was the first one to stand and shrug on his coat, and the rest of the overly full teenagers followed suit. In a mass, they gathered their winter clothing and dishes and wandered to the tray dump. Then it was out of the cafeteria and towards the front doors—by the time the first of the group began to step outside, they were all completely bundled up against the cold and ready for the trek back across campus.

"I'll be there in a little bit," Axel started to branch off from the group, "I'm gonna grab my stuff from my dorm."

Demyx nodded and turned towards the junior hall. "Same."

"See you in a bit," Roxas called after the older boys, his voice muffled by his scarf.

It was only a few more minutes before he and the others crowded through the front doors of the sophomore hall and closed in on the elevator. They made three stops, Sora and Roxas waiting as Kairi and Namine got off to go to their room and Riku to his.

"We'll get everything ready!" Sora shouted before the door could close and lock him inside the elevator with his twin.

Roxas glanced at his brother then pushed the button for their floor. "Mom and Dad want to web-chat for a little bit."

"I remember."

_Ding._

Moving at the same time, the twins left the elevator and headed down the hall to their dorm. The halls and lobby were decorated for the holiday—snowflakes hung from the ceiling, tinsel and garland draped along the walls along with cut out shapes of trees and presents, Santa and his sleigh with his reindeer. There was even a small, fully decorated Christmas tree at the end of each hallway, complete with little glowing lights and shiny bulbs. It was festive and definitely put the students in a cheerful, Christmas-y mood. Sora and Roxas, as hosts of the Christmas Eve Party, had borrowed some of the extra decorations and used them on their dorm to give it a proper party atmosphere. So they had tinsel and a two-foot-tall tree and a few long strands of garland. They'd cut out their own paper snowflakes to hang, and their tiny tree was surrounded by the brightly wrapped presents they'd gathered over the last week for their friends.

"Get online so Mom and Dad can call when they're ready," Roxas ordered, taking the few moments they had to make sure that there were no messes and that the room was properly set up to accommodate the amount of people they were about to cram in there.

"Yeah, yeah." Leaning over his desk, Sora opened his laptop and signed in. His fingers drummed against the desk's surface as he waited for it to load, and opened his webcam as soon as he could. His father's account wasn't online yet, so he increased the computer's volume for when his parents eventually called then turned and leaned back against the desk. "We ready?"

"Yep."

"Good."

Sora grinned and opened a second program on his laptop, fiddled around with it for a few moments, then turned his attention towards Roxas as a rock version of "Deck the Halls" began to play.

"Nice," the blond commented.

"Thanks."

Just then the door opened and Kairi walked in ahead of Namine, her arms full of a stack of wrapped presents. "Is this supposed to be Christmas music?"

"It is Christmas music!" Stepping forward, Sora took the presents out of her arms and added them to those already placed around the tree. "It's _cool _Christmas music."

"Sure it is."

"Let the Brat have his weird music." With a bowl and large bag of chips in one arm and a large bag full of wrapped presents in the other, Riku shouldered the door open and moved into the room to stand next to Namine. "We only have to put up with it for a little while."

"My music's easier to put with than you, Jerk," the brunet shot back, and Riku arched an eyebrow.

"I thought you 'put up with me' just fine the other day, right, Master Sora?"

Instantly, Sora's face and ears turned bright red and he looked away from the silver-haired athlete in search of something else to focus on.

"Master Sora?" Roxas repeated, giving his brother a questioning look that only made the brunet blush harder.

Kairi looked at Riku. "Are you talking about when you were his slave?"

"Yeah." He hadn't looked away from Sora yet, was just watching the way the brunet shifted his weight and tried to act like he wasn't blushing so much. It hit him just how much he'd missed this teasing during the last few days, and while he could tell that Sora hadn't expected him to say it and wasn't entirely prepared to go back to the way they'd been, Riku was tired of thinking all these things to say and holding them. He'd resisted at dinner and ended up embarrassed. That wasn't something he was going to repeat.

"Right. Well." Obviously flustered, Sora landed his gaze on Namine and quickly moved towards her. "Here, gimme that," he said, taking the box of popcorn she'd been carrying and moving across the room to set it on top of the microwave. With his back to his friends, he let out a small sigh and tried to collect his thoughts as quickly as he could. It was just Riku. He could handle this. It was normal for them. They flirted all the time.

When he turned again, it was just in time to see Roxas pull his phone out of his pocket and click a couple of buttons.

"Axel and Demyx are on their way over. I'm gonna go let them in." And the blond was gone, leaving Sora, Riku, Namine, and Kairi alone in the room.

A small amount of tension hung in the air from Riku's comment about his time as Sora's slave, but the older boy seemed completely unaffected by it. He was casual as he set the bowl and chips down by the TV then took the presents he'd brought out of the bag to put with the others. Free of his burdens, he picked his place on the futon and settled comfortably, lounging as much as possible without taking up the entire thing. Kairi settled next to him a moment later while Namine chose Roxas' desk chair, and Sora remained by the microwave. He wasn't sure if he should get any closer to the other boy, as if proximity would increase the chances of being teased again.

_Beep…beep…beep…_

For several moments, the teens looked at each other and around the room in search of the source of the sound, until Sora started and moved towards his desk.

_Incoming Call _his laptop screen announced, so he clicked the "accept" option and the beeping stopped. His screen flashed for a second before a window opened up, a loading symbol in the middle of it, then two boxes appeared side by side. The one on the left showed two familiar faces, while the one on the right was Sora staring back at himself so that he could see what his webcam showed.

"Hey, Mom and Dad! Merry Christmas!" the brunet greeted cheerfully.

"_Hi, Sora! Where's Roxas?"_

"He went to let a couple of our friends in. They'll be here in a bit."

"_Oh, all right. Are you and your friends spending the night together?"_

"Yep!" Still leaning over his desk, Sora looked over his shoulder at the other three students in the room. "Come meet my parents!"

Acting as though it took a great deal of effort, Riku lifted himself off the futon and moved to stand behind Sora, bending and looking at the screen. "Hi." It wasn't hard to see where Roxas and Sora got their hair from. Their father was blond like Roxas, his hair just as spiky as that of his sons, and looking at him was almost like seeing exactly how Roxas was going to look as an adult—even his eyes were a familiar vibrant blue. Sora was going to look like that, too, but it was obvious that he'd gotten his brown hair from his mother. She was fine-featured, with long, straight dark hair and a kind smile. "I'm Riku."

"My best friend," Sora added, lifting his eyebrows just slightly and looking directly at the camera lens to make sure he made eye contact with his parents. He and Riku watched as his mother leaned and whispered into his father's ear, making the blond man chuckle.

"Bet your mom thinks I'm attractive," Riku murmured to the brunet, making Sora feel a little warm under the collar of his shirt.

"_Hello, Riku, I'm Tifa, Sora and Roxas' mother."_ She had a nice voice, and smiled as she put her hand on her husband's shoulder. _"This is Cloud."_

Cloud? What sort of name was that?

Riku hid his thoughts and put on one of his more charming smiles. "It's nice to meet you."

"Is that Mom and Dad?" Followed by Demyx and Axel, Roxas came into the room and paused the music before moving to stand on Sora's other side. "Hi!"

"_Hey, Rox, how're you doing?"_ Cloud asked with the slightest of smiles.

"I'm good, Dad. Uh, this' Axel," the blond gestured at the tall senior, "and Demyx, and that's Kairi and Namine." Sora turned the computer so the girls were visible to the camera.

"_Hello!"_ Tifa smiled and waved, her eyes closing momentarily. _"Merry Christmas!"_

"Merry Christmas, Mrs. Strife," Kairi replied politely, and Tifa laughed.

"_Please, please, call me Tifa. All right, boys, open your presents where we can see!"_

Smiling, Sora moved out of view of the camera and retrieved two of the larger boxes from by the tree. They'd come in the mail a few days before, fully wrapped with bows and labels. He handed one to Roxas and kept the other for himself as the twins positioned themselves where their parents could see them. It was quiet until they'd settled on the floor and were waiting expectantly.

"_Go,"_ their father gave his permission for them to begin.

Immediately, Sora tore into the wrapping paper on his box, the rips and rustles filling the room. Roxas was more precise, pulling the tape loose and unfolding the wrapping so that it came away in a single large piece. The boxers were taped shut but it didn't take Sora very long to yank it apart. He was putting all of his energy and enthusiasm into opening his present and was soon digging through tissue paper. Similarly, Roxas broke open his box with a more controlled wrench and soon located a blue envelope with his name on it.

"_Cards first,"_ Tifa's voice sounded from the laptop, and Sora stopped messing with the tissue long enough to find a red envelope along the side of the box.

Together, the twins opened their envelopes and removed matching Christmas cards. In silence, they opened them and red what was inside—a wide grin took over Sora's features

" Cool!"

His parents laughed quietly as they watched their son's reaction.

"Thanks." Roxas' voice held little emotion, though his expression was one of surprise and made it clear that he was still processing whatever it was that he'd just read.

"You guys are the best! This is awesome!" Sora was bouncing slightly in excitement.

"_Merry Christmas,"_ his mother replied, obviously pleased with his response to the card.

"What is it?" Riku asked, his curiosity making him peer over Sora's shoulder at the card in the brunet's hands.

Narrowing his eyes, Sora held the card to his chest so the older boy couldn't see. "Nothing."

Riku rolled his green-blue eyes. "Brat."

"Jerk."

Only Roxas saw the look that passed between his parents.

"_Open the rest, boys,"_ Cloud reminded his sons, his expression fond.

The cards were carefully set aside—out of Riku's reach—and the twins set about opening their gifts. Tissue paper was thrown across the room until the boxes' contents were revealed.

"_Injustice! Titanfall! _Yes!" Depositing the games in his lap, Sora pulled a pair of bright, brand new running shoes, white with red and blue stripes along the sides. "Sweet! Riku! We're racing as soon as it gets warm out!"

"Sure." The older boy was obviously amused.

"_Roxas? Do you like them?"_

All eyes turned to the blond twin, who was busy clutching a stack of four hardbound books to his chest.

"Yes."

"What books are they, Rox?" Axel asked, leaning over the blond and grinning at him from his practically upside down position.

"_Northanger Abbey, Mysteries of Udolpho, The Monk, _and _Jane Eyre._"

"He's wanted those for a while but he couldn't find any editions he liked," Sora explained in hushed tones to the redhead.

"These are perfect." Roxas had yet to loosen his grip on the novels, though his eyes moved towards the laptop to look at his parents' faces. "Thank you."

"_You're welcome, hon."_

"_All right, we have to go. Merry Christmas, boys."_

"Merry Christmas!" Sora called cheerfully.

"We love you!"

Tifa smiled and blew a kiss at the camera. _"Good night!"_ The call disconnected a moment later and silence quickly took over the dorm.

"They seem nice," Axel commented, and the twins looked up at the taller boy.

"They're cool." Sora looked at Roxas and smiled with one side of his mouth. "At least they didn't try to embarrass us this time."

"Yeah."

Riku looked from one twin to the other. "This time?"

Still holding his new books close, Roxas stood and nodded. "Mom likes to be overly friendly to the people we meet."

"Oh." Axel nodded once and quirked his shoulders. "Parents are like that. So," he held up a large bowl with a lid on it and an impressively large bag of tortilla chips, "where do I put these?"


	53. Chapter 53

Weak winter sunlight streaming in through the window fell across Riku's face and the teen frowned in his sleep, twisting in an attempt to escape. Disgruntled sounds escaped him but the dorm room was so crowded that there really wasn't anywhere for him to go. The chunk of sun was too big to roll away from, so the silver-haired athlete sat up and stretched until his joints popped. Sleeping on the floor really wasn't as much fun as the sleepovers in movies made it seem. Well, they'd had enough blankets and pillows that it hadn't been too bad, but it wasn't exactly comparable to an actual mattress.

Relaxing again, he looked around the dorm to see if anyone else had woken yet. It didn't seem like it, and the only sound was that of several people breathing slow and deep. Carefully, the sophomore stood and abandoned his blankets. He picked his way across the room, tiptoeing between the bodies of his slumbering friends, towards the bunk beds and stood by the ladder. Sora was fast asleep, his mouth hanging open and his arms wrapped around his pillow; one of his legs had kicked off the blankets.

_Stupid kid._

But he was sort of cute when he was asleep. Riku wished he hadn't bit the brunet, wished things were still as easy as they'd been a week ago. Even though they'd talked and joked almost like normal last night during the celebrations, it hadn't been quite the same. Sora had still been a little more hesitant than Riku was used to, and the older boy didn't like it.

Would they have shared his bed last night, if he hadn't messed up that badly? Would they be cuddling right now, the way they had the night Riku was supposed to act as Sora's slave? He kind wished they would. It'd been nice and watching Sora hold onto his pillow like that made him really wish the brunet was holding onto him like that.

_Sap._

_Yeah, so what? I like him._

If only he could actually do something about it without screwing himself up.

Sighing quietly, Riku turned and surveyed the dorm room. The lights on the tree glowed softly in the dim room, reflecting off the wrapping paper of the presents that were piled around it—there were way too many for such a small tree, but that hadn't stopped any of them. Blankets and pillows covered the floor, occupied by the sleeping forms of Kairi, Namine, and Demyx. An abandoned pillows marked where Riku had slept, and an empty space betrayed that Axel hadn't slept in his spot. The lucky bastard had been up in Roxas' bunk, flirting with the blond, when they'd all started to fall asleep, and the two had ended up sharing the bed. If he bothered to climb the ladder and check, Riku was sure he'd have found them cuddling in their sleep.

_Lucky bastards._

They might have gotten off to a rough start, but at least they were working things out. Riku had just screwed himself over again and again right from the beginning.

What time was it, even? Almost ten? Huh. He really thought he'd have slept in a lot later than this, considering how late they'd all stayed up. Four hours of sleep really wasn't enough, but he didn't feel tired, just stiff from the floor.

_It's Christmas morning._

Yeah, but they'd all made a toast at midnight to celebrate. They hadn't opened presents—Sora had wanted to but Roxas was adamant about waiting—so instead the sparkling grape juice Demyx had supplied was poured into plastic cups and toasted with, and they'd snacked and talked and partied until the small hours of the morning. Things had quieted down around three, and after that they'd just shifted around the room chatting until everyone eventually fell asleep. And now…

Now he was just waiting for them all to wake up so they could open presents. What should he do until then? Hmmm there was the twins' gaming system but he couldn't do anything that would make too much noise, and that would definitely wake them all. Movies would, too. Maybe he could go to his room and get his laptop or something, but he didn't want to seem antisocial when the others woke up, and he was starting to feel more and more tired the longer he stood there. The sun had woken him and now that it wasn't in his eyes anymore, the lack of sleep was catching up. But he really didn't think he'd sleep very well if he went back to his spot on the floor.

Slowly, teal eyes moved back to Sora's sleeping form. Man, the kid really looked stupid like that, one leg sticking out and everything.

Riku let a fond, crooked smile find its way onto his face as he gently tugged the blankets back into place to cover the younger boy's leg. To his surprise, Sora shifted and mumbled, and he froze in the hopes that he hadn't actually woken the brunet.

"Mn….jerk…" Turning onto his back, Sora kept the pillow he'd been hugging to his chest and worked his jaw as if his mouth had dried out, which it probably had.

Heh, even in his sleep, he knew Riku was the one to mess with him.

"Whatcha dreamin' about, Brat?" the older boy whispered, crouching by the bed so his face was just about level with the brunet's.

"Riku."

His name came out on a sleepy sigh and he couldn't deny that it was pretty nice to hear. But wait—Sora was dreaming about him?

"What about me? Huh?"

"…stupid…"

Of course.

"Well, you're no bag of brains, either."

Sora merely hummed in response to that, so Riku decided he'd messed with the younger boy's sleeping brain enough for one morning. That meant he was still let without something to do until they all woke up.

_Losers. How come I'm the only one who got a face-full of sun?_

Disgruntled by his misfortune, Riku crossed the room to the window that was letting in the offensive sun and closed the blinds, blocking out the light. Why no one had thought to do that the night before, he didn't know, and he really didn't care. His eyelids felt heavy and his neck was starting to have trouble with holding up his head.

It was harder to make his way back to his sleeping spot now that it was darker, but he managed it without kicking or stepping on anyone, and a minute later was curled up under his blankets and fast asleep once more.

X

"Everybody wake up! It's Christmas!" Eyes bright and mouth split in a wide grin, Sora yanked on the string of his blinds so that they flew open, flooding the room with bright sunlight. Pained groans sounded from behind him, along with mutters and a few not-quite-quiet curses.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Riku demanded, still not feeling rested despite having gone back to sleep.

"Nothing! It's Christmas! Everything's great!"

"Sora!" Roxas shouted at his twin from the top bunk, chucking a pillow at the brunet before rolling over and snuggling back into his blankets. He didn't realize that he'd also snuggled into Axel, but the senior certainly didn't mind. Meanwhile, Sora caught the pillow and threw it at Riku, nailing the silver-haired athlete in the face.

"Ow! Hey!" With vengeance in mind, Riku scrambled to his feet and bounded across the room as Sora half-crouched defensively. It didn't do him any good, though, because a moment later Riku had him in a headlock and was thoroughly mussing the spikes that made up his hair whilst the rest of the students watched in half-asleep amusement.

Struggling vainly, Sora shouted at the older boy. "Okay, okay! Stop!"

"Too bad we don't have any mistletoe," Axel murmured, and Roxas nodded without lifting his head.

"They'd just fight about who should make the first move." His comment received a chuckle from the older boy.

"True."

Below, Kairi sat up in her spot on the floor and ran a hand through her hair, her eyes squinted against the light Sora had unleashed into the room. "Riku."

He looked at her first to see exactly what she wanted, then grinned and released the boy in his hold. Panting and red-faced, Sora straightened and shoved the older boy, though not hard enough to do anything but shift Riku's shoulder.

"Jerk."

"Brat."

That exchange was going to become annoying soon if they kept it up much longer.

"Whatever. Presents! Everybody up! Merry Christmas! Present time!" His cheerful mood not damaged in the slightest by his confrontation with Riku, Sora began picking up presents from around their little tree and passing them out to whomever they'd been addressed.

"Demyx, don't you have to web-chat with Zexion for this?" Namine asked, gently touching the still-dozing junior's shoulder.

"Hm…?" The mulletted blond lifted his head and stared at her as comprehension came into his express. "Oh, yeah." Slowly, Demyx sat up and pushed his blankets off so he could pull his laptop out of his bag and into his lap. While he was busy with that, Sora continued to pass out gifts and Roxas and Axel made their way down from the top bunk to settle on Sora's abandoned bed.

"That's all the presents," Sora announced, choosing a spot on the floor next to Riku, as the older athlete had already resumed his place among the blankets.

Demyx clicked a few keys on his laptop then grinned. "Morning, sleepyhead."

"_Morning,"_ Zexion's sleep-heavy voice sounded from the laptop, and Demyx gave a thumbs up.

"We're ready."

"Okay, everybody go!"

Immediately, the sound of ripping paper filled the room. Wrapping paper was crumpled into balls and tossed, sometimes hitting other students or bouncing harmlessly off the floor or walls, only to be picked up and thrown again. Exclamations of surprise or happiness were barely audible over the general noise, the dorm room falling silent after several long minutes of this.

Roxas pushed a pile of wrapping and tissue paper off the bed and onto the floor, letting the brightly colored paper scatter. "Are we announcing what we got from who?"

A grin spread over Sora's face. "Sure! I got a sweet leather jacket from Rox, the fanciest headphones I've ever seen from Kairi, and Riku got me a Zune!" The brunet beamed at the three friends who'd taken the time to get him something. "It's perfect cause now I don't have to buy an iPod!"

"You're welcome," Riku half-mocked, smiling. "I'll show you how to use the Zune program later."

"Cool. Namine, you're next!"

Shy, the blonde held up her gifts one by one. "Demyx got me CDs of Lindsey Stirling, Vitas, and Jónsi, a new sketchpad and pencils from Kairi, and a dessert cookbook from Roxas. Thank you."

A round of "you're welcome" sounded before all eyes went to Kairi.

"Namine got me these gorgeous heels," the redhead announced, holding them up so everyone could see the stilettos she'd received, "and Sora gave me a scarf that I'm surprised he had the fashion sense to pick."

Laughter covered up Sora leaning over to whisper to Riku that Namine had helped him choose the scarf.

"They're both perfect. Thanks."

Since he was next, Roxas held up a leather-bound journal with his name inscribed on the front in silver, "From Axel," a pair of darkwash skinny jeans with red stitching, "from Sora," and a thick, fluffy looking blanket that was the exact color of the sea salt ice cream they'd made for their home ec class, "from Namine."

"Can't wait to see those on you," Axel murmured in reference to the skinny jeans, making a blush spread over the blond sophomore's cheeks.

"Shut up and say what you got," Roxas muttered, looking away rather than admit his embarrassment.

"Rox got me a shirt," he held it up, showing the black shirt emblazoned with "TWISTED FIRE STARTER" on the front, "and Zexion got me some Muse albums I somehow didn't have."

"_You're welcome,"_ Zexion's voice sounded, his tone making it obvious that those albums hadn't been easy to find.

"Thanks, Zex."

Demyx turned the laptop around so everyone could see his boyfriend's face on the screen. "Your turn."

Being careful to make sure he was within the camera's view, Zexion held up a box with an expensive-looking watch inside. "Time, temperature, GPS, and it glows in the dark, from Demyx, and an alchemy book from Axel that I might practice on him with."

Axel gasped in mock horror while everyone else chuckled at the mostly empty threat.

"Do you like it?" Demyx asked, turning the laptop around again so Zexion could see him.

"_It's perfect."_

A pleased blush overtook the junior's face and he smiled. "Good." It was another moment before he realized that the rest of the students were waiting for him to announce what he'd gotten, and then his face turned a little redder out of embarrassment. "Namine gave me professional grade swim goggles and Zexion gave me a book of piano music that I'll have to practice for a year before I'll be able to play it."

"_I bet you'll get it in a month. Are you going to tell them what else I got you?"_

Interest made his friends perk up but Demyx ducked his head. "I don't want to."

"_Come on, Lark."_

Reluctantly, Demyx reached back into the gift bag beside him and withdrew something small, silver and metallic. "He got me a whistle."

"_To destroy the eardrums of anyone who ever tries to hurt him."_

"A rape whistle?" Kairi gave the mulletted blond a confused look.

"Yeah." Clearly embarrassed by the second part of his gift from Zexion, Demyx placed the whistle back into the bag and curled around his laptop. Zexion's voice was audible but not discernible, and Demyx murmured back several times. Silently, the rest of the group decided to move on despite the junior's distraction.

"Your turn," Sora quietly reminded Riku, and the silver-haired sophomore nodded.

"Movies."

"From?" Kairi asked.

"Sora."

The brunet grinned. "Tell 'em what movies I got for you."

A look akin to murder came over the older boy's face as Riku looked back at the sophomore beside him. "No."

Instantly, Sora started pouting and whined in the back of his throat. "Why not?"

"You know exactly why."

Just as confused as the rest of them, Roxas shifted in his spot on Sora's bed. "Are you guys having an inside joke or something?"

"Sort of." Sora continued his pout as he looked up at his twin. "When I was his slave, I had to clean and re-organize his entire room, and I noticed a part of his movie collection that was sort of lacking, so for Christmas I got him what he was missing."

"What part of his movie collection?" Kairi asked, looking at Riku with her head tilted to one side because she'd known him longer than the others but still didn't know what Sora was talking about.

"Don't," Riku warned, but Sora was already grinning.

"Riku likes dance movies."

Silence greeted his announcement of the older athlete's secret. They might not have believed him if Riku hadn't instantly glared, his face turning red with embarrassment and anger, the movies hidden beneath a layer of tissue paper so no one could see the covers.

"Really?" Namine scooted closer to him and tried to catch a glimpse of the movies. "Which ones?"

While Riku twisted away from her, Sora took liberty in answering the blonde's question. "_Footloose, Dirty Dancing, _and all the _Step Up_ movies."

"I love those movies!" Kairi smiled excitedly. "I'll watch them with you, Riku!"

Even though he looked like he wanted to turn his glare on her and declare that he would never watch the movies, alone or with anyone else, Riku merely shrugged with one shoulder and kept his gaze on the floor.

"I get to watch them with him first."

Surprise interrupted Riku's grumpy attitude and he looked at Sora. "You do?"

Proud of himself, the brunet grinned and slung an arm around Riku's shoulders in an amiable fashion. "Yep! I got them for you, so it's only fair that I be the first one to watch them with you! We'll have a marathon. It'll be great."

"Oh." Conflicted, Riku frowned slightly before managing a small smile. "Okay."

Smirking ever so slightly, Axel leaned closer to Roxas. "Yeah, those two _really _need some mistletoe."

X

In silence that wasn't exactly awkward but wasn't entirely comfortable, either, Roxas and Axel made their way from the twins' room to the front door of the sophomore dorm hall. It was late, after dark and probably snowing again, and almost everyone had gone to sleep already. Demyx had gone first, returning to his dorm shortly after dinner. Namine and Kairi had gone around eight so they could shower and relax for a while before bed. Sora and Riku were both still up in the twins' room. Now Axel was on his way out, and Roxas had decided to walk him because, well, he didn't really want the senior to leave yet, but he couldn't say that, could he?

"Today was a lot of fun. Best Christmas I've had in a long time," the senior commented as they left the stairwell and entered the lobby—Roxas had suggested they take the stairs because it would be a better opportunity to chat.

"Yeah. Well, it's the first time Sora and I have spent Christmas like this. Usually, since we never really a permanent home before, we'd just get a fancy dinner somewhere and end up opening presents in a hotel or the jet or ship, wherever we happened to be."

"Your parents travel a lot, huh?"

Roxas nodded, his hands in his pockets. They'd reached the front doors but Axel hadn't moved to leave and Roxas wasn't about to dismiss him. Now, they were just wasting time together. "Dad's got business all over the world and since he met mom through work, she goes, too. We have a house, we're just hardly ever there. Sora and I had private tutors before we came here, so this is a whole new thing for us."

"You both seem to like it."

"Definitely. It's nice, not being hauled all over the world, making friends for a few days and then never seeing them again. Meeting people—" he stopped, but the rest of the sentence hung heavy on his tongue. He'd been about to say that they could meet people they might want to date now that they were old enough for it. Certainly, when they'd moved around all the time, they never would have managed to get close enough to anyone to develop feelings for someone the way Sora had for Riku.

_And…_maybe…_the way I have for Axel…?_

Ugh, okay, _maybe _he liked the senior, _like that. Maybe._ And what exactly would be wrong with that? He'd settled his differences with the older boy and they got along perfectly fine now, and Axel clearly trusted him on top of having liked him from the beginning. There was nothing wrong with returning the older boy's feelings. Besides, Axel was smart, and he liked the books Roxas liked, and they were in some of the same classes, he was athletic and was generally pretty happy despite all the crap that went on with Miss Larxene. Roxas was pretty sure that if a teacher was harassing him like that, he wouldn't be able to smile more than once a week. The fact that Axel had put so much effort into just being his friend after everything that had gone on was plain impressive. And then, of course, there was the fact that the senior seemed to be able to make him blush without even trying.

_Okay. I like him. Cool._

Deciphering his own emotions wasn't nearly as big of a relief as Roxas thought it should have been. Instead of being able to relax and enjoy Axel's company, he suddenly felt self-conscious. What if he said something stupid? How many stupid things had he already said in front of the redhead?

_Oh my god._

Now what was he supposed to do? He liked him but…he couldn't just come right out and say it, could he? Just the thought of doing so made his insides feel cold. Was this really what it felt like to be genuinely attracted to someone? It'd been years since the last time he had so much as a crush on anyone. Actually, when he thought about it, he wasn't sure if he'd ever had a crush before. Wow. This was a huge first.

"Hey, you all right?" Axel was leaning down, his entire body tipped to the side so he could see Roxas' face a little better. "You just sorta stopped. Something wrong?"

"What? Oh, no, I just lost my train of thought. I forgot what I was going to say." He offered a sheepish smile then rolled his eyes in a self-deprecating way, and froze.

No way. No, no, no. This was a joke. He was imagining it. No way.

"Rox? Really, what's the matter?" There was genuine concern in Axel's tone as he watched the younger boy continue to stare upwards. "What? What's-?" Without really meaning to, Axel glanced up to see what had captured the blond's attention and couldn't help but freeze for a moment, too.

Oh. Mistletoe.

"Uh…was that there when we came back from dinner last night?" he asked, his voice lower than normal.

"Dunno." Roxas had yet to tear his eyes away from the bunch of green and white that hung from the ceiling. "I didn't notice it."

"Yeah, me either."

_Now _what was he supposed to do? He'd only just come to the conclusion that he even liked Axel as more than a friend! Was he really supposed to just kiss him just like that?

"Well, well, rules are rules."

_What?_

Still too shocked to say anything, Roxas managed to lower his gaze far enough to watch the senior smile and starting leaning closer. The closing distance between them made his heart pound. Oh, god, oh god oh god oh god. He was getting closer, there was no back out, he couldn't move holy crap this was really about to happen…!

With a tiny, crooked smile, Axel tilted his head to the side and placed a chaste kiss on Roxas' cheek. "Merry Christmas, Rox," he whispered, giving the blond goosebumps, before he pulled away. The surprised look on the younger boy's face made him chuckle a little. "What sort of guy would I be if I kissed you because of a plant?"

Oh, right, yeah, good point. "Right." Embarrassed now, Roxas forced his own uneven smile. "Night, Axel. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, Roxas." One last grin from the senior and then Axel was gone, disappearing into the blackness that waited for him outside. For several long moments, Roxas stood looking after the redhead, until he came to his senses, shook himself, and turned to go back upstairs.

_Idiot. Of course he wasn't going to kiss you. He's not that big of a jerk. It's good that he didn't—it means he respects you._

So how come he couldn't help the sense of disappointment that was weighing on him as he went back upstairs to his room?


	54. Chapter 54

No.

No, no, no, he couldn't mean it. This was a joke. He couldn't really…just…

Shocked and confused and hurt, Kairi sat in silence, her computer screen's glow illuminating her face. This wasn't at all what she'd been expecting. Having a new email, from Luxord, was supposed to be exciting. Their date had gone so well. She'd been happy. He'd kissed her—they'd exchanged simple, pleasant Christmas emails since they hadn't actually seen each other. And now this.

_I can't see you again._

The words practically leapt off the screen, forcing her to accept that she wasn't imagining them.

_We have to stay student and teacher, nothing more._

She could feel her lip starting to tremble and didn't even try to stop it.

_It would never work out._

Why was he saying this? What happened to change his mind so suddenly? She'd been happy and confident, and thinking about how their date had gone made her giddy. And now he wanted to act like it had never even happened?

"I know it's a little inappropriate, but I don't care." It was a good thing Namine wasn't in the room to hear her talking to herself. "You can't do this to me. You can't. Not after that. We were…I was happy and you can't just…"

She didn't know what she meant to say, she just knew that she wasn't okay with this email. Nothing about this was okay. Could he really just decide that he was done with no warning, no reason?

Slowly, Kairi clicked on the _Reply _option above the message box then brought her hands to the keyboard, lightly letting her fingertips rest on the keys. What should she say? Denial of what he'd said jumped to the forefront of her mind. How could he do this to her? It wasn't fair! She'd done everything right and now he was just abandoning her! Worse, he hadn't even had the decency to tell her why.

_I hope you understand._

_This is a very complicated situation._

How? How was it complicated? She liked him, he at least acted like he liked her. What was the problem? So she was underage, big deal. People waited to have sex all the time, for years. She was sixteen. Less than a year and she'd be legal. He knew that. And even if they had to keep it casual and simple until she graduated, she could handle that. It might be frustrating, but she could handle it.

If he'd plainly said it was because he didn't return her feelings, she could have let it go. Sure, she'd have been disappointed, but she'd have understood. There was no reason to hold onto it if he genuinely wasn't interested. This wasn't that. He didn't give any specific reason. Every sentence was like he was avoiding telling her something. Vague and noncommittal phrases laced the email, which wasn't very long to begin with.

Kairi didn't react when the door opened then closed and the lights were flicked on. It was just Namine coming back from the showers, and she was still too busy trying to decide how exactly to reply to this email to look at her blonde cousin. For several moments, she sat staring at her laptop as Namine moved around to dress and comb out her hair. When the blonde was finished, though, and noticed that her roommate hadn't moved, her curiosity got the best of her.

"What's that?" she asked, standing by Kairi's bed and leaning to peer over the redhead's shoulder.

"It's an email from Luxord."

"Oh." That was enough to make Namine significantly less curious, since she'd never been sure how she felt about Kairi wanting to date one of their teachers, but she didn't want to be rude, so she sat on the bed and settled next to her cousin. "Is he going to take you on another date?"

"No. He…says we can't see each other outside school."

"Why not?"

Kairi shrugged, still not looking away from her laptop. It shouldn't be this hard to reply to such a short email, but everything she came up with was wrong. The more rational side of her wanted to ask him for clearer reasoning, but if he'd been this vague already, she doubted he'd give her a better explanation. Another part wanted to be angry and hurt and spiteful, but she resisted that. Letting her emotions get out of hand wouldn't help anything. But then, if she was too calm and logical, he might think she didn't care as much as she did. That would probably prove to him that this had all been some meaningless game for her, and that wasn't true at all.

_Why is this so hard?_

Flirting with him was easy. It had been nerve racking at first, of course, and it had taken her ages to build up her courage enough to actually do it. She'd done it, though, and it worked. Luxord had gone on a date with her. And now it was like that didn't even matter.

"Kairi? Are you okay?"

"What? Yeah. I'm fine."

Without having typed a word, the redhead closed out of the window and shut her laptop, leaving it to hibernate on her bed.

"You sure? You're being really quiet." Tone laced with concern, Namine watched her cousin get up and go across the room to her little counter space and brush out her hair.

"Yep. I'm good. What time is it?"

"Um," the blonde checked her phone, "almost two. Why?"

"Because the boys want to have a snowball fight before dinner and I think now is the perfect time." She had to get out of that room, had to think about something other than that email. A snowball fight would be a good distraction, and Sora would undoubtedly cheer her up. "Let's get dressed then go find them."

"Okay." Rather than question the other girl further when Kairi clearly didn't want to talk about whatever had been in that email, Namine merely went along and changed into her thicker clothes in preparation for going outside.

Properly bundled against the cold but carrying their hats and gloves so they wouldn't get too hot while still inside, the two girls left their dorm and made the short journey to the twins' room.

"Sora?" Kairi knocked twice before pushing the door open, and stuck her head inside. The brunet was seated on the floor in front of his and Roxas' TV, a controller in his hand. He was maneuvering a character through what looked like old ruins, making him jump up platforms and shooting weird creatures that left behind shiny yellow orbs that Sora appeared to be collecting. "Hey, what're you playing?" she asked, opening the door fully and walking into the dorm as Namine followed her.

"_Jak II_. He's about to find out he's in the future."

The title sounded familiar, but Kairi had never been much into videogames so she didn't know anything about it, definitely not enough to hold a conversation, at least. "Cool. So did you still want to have a snowball fight before dinner?"

Her question spurred Sora to actually turn and look, and he grinned when he noticed her winter attire. "Yeah!" The game was paused, saved, and quit within a matter of moments, and then Sora was hurrying around the room to get changed. "Did you get Riku yet? Roxas is at Axel's so we should invite him, too, and Demyx! It'll be the biggest snowball fight ever!"

"Hayner and Zexion and Ariel should be back by now," Namine added, making Sora's grin spread even wider.

"Great! Let's get them, too!"

"Okay," Kairi stepped back towards the door, "I'll go get Riku. Sora, you text Roxas and Hayner. Namine, you text Ariel and Demyx. Tell Roxas to bring Axel and Zexion, since those two are roommates." She waited until Sora nodded and took out his phone before she left and headed for the elevator. This was perfect, just the distraction she needed. It would be the biggest hangout since before finals, and she needed to be surrounded by friends and stupid bickering for a little while. Watching Roxas' uncertain feelings for Axel grow and get the blond all flustered always helped her relax—the quieter twin really was cute when he was shy, and nothing made him shy like the redheaded senior did. Kairi was almost as eager for their relationship as she was for Sora and Riku's. Those two had to be getting close to confessing. After the biting incident and how they'd somewhat made up during Christmas, it really couldn't be long now.

_They'd better get a move on._

Without bothering to knock this time, Kairi opened the door to Riku's room and was unsurprised to find the silver-haired teen stretched out on his futon, mouth hanging open as he slept. Really, he was such an active person usually, but when the weather kept him inside, the guy was asleep fifty percent of the time.

"Hey, Riku." She shook his knee until blue-green eyes opened and peered at her tiredly. "Get dressed. We're having a snowball fight."

For a moment he merely regarded her, then he turned onto his side and shoved his face into the futon cushion, arms tucked to his chest and legs curled. "No thanks."

Kairi rolled her eyes and shook him again, rougher this time. "Get up!"

"Nooooo."

"Do you want to get with Sora or not?" the redhead demanded, hands now on her hips as she semi-glared at her friend. Maybe it was a low blow to drag Riku's attraction to the younger student into this, but it wasn't exaggeration to think this mattered. If Riku didn't come, Sora would be upset and that wouldn't help anything. "You have to show up and be friendly and screw around with him, idiot. Or do you want him to think things are still super awkward between the two of you even though Christmas was so great?"

Riku peeked at her with one eye to let her know that he was listening, though he didn't unglue himself from the futon just yet.

"Come on, tough guy. You know how much he loves snowball fights, and we're his first real friends. This'll be a great opportunity to flirt with him and be charming and sweet. I know it's hard for you to not be a jerk, but you at least have to try."

Now Riku was frowning. "I'm not a jerk."

"Uh, yeah, you kinda are. Can be." Kairi shook her head and looked towards the ceiling for a moment. "You have been. So don't be one now. Get up, get dressed, and come play outside for a couple hours. Flirt with Sora until you can sweep him off his feet, Romeo."

Even though he looked like he really rather wouldn't, Riku nodded after a moment and pushed himself to his feet. He swayed, stretching and yawning as his back popped, then shuffled across the room to find his more winter appropriate clothes. Kairi took his place on the futon, folding her legs under herself and idly examining her nails rather than watch the athlete change.

"You really think I can sweep him off his feet?" Riku asked after a moment, the words muffled because he was pulling a thick turtleneck on.

"I think he'd really like for you to sweep him off his feet. Face it, there's been tension between you guys from day one. I still remember how angry you made him his and Roxas' first day here."

Frowning slightly as he tried to remember just what had happened the first time he met the brunet, Riku turned and fixed his hoody. "I did what?"

With her hands in her lap, Kairi shrugged and tilted her head to the side. "He didn't go into detail, but he called you a jerk a couple of times. Roxas said he slipped and you caught him, but when they thanked you, you snapped at them and walked off. Which is partially how I figured out they were talking about you, Grumpy. But Sora was pretty miffed about it."

"Oh, yeah, I remember. Trust the Brat to be oversensitive about something like that. I already saved him from hurting himself, why would I be nice on top of it?"

"Because most people have feelings and manners," Kairi pointed out, earning rolled eyes from the older student. "Anyway, he obviously doesn't think you're a jerk anymore."

"Yeah, he does. I call him Brat and he calls me Jerk."

"That's not the same thing. What I'm saying is that he went from thinking you were a terrible human being to wanting to kiss you and I'd say that's a lot of progress. It took you longer than it should have, but with your lack of social skills, I'm not surprised that there were a few speed bumps." Ignoring the rather offended look on Riku's face, Kairi stood and headed for the door. "Ready?"

Riku put away his indignation for later and picked up his coat and boots to carry with him to the younger boys' room. "Yep." Neither student said anything else as they left one dorm in favor of another, though they walked in just in time to catch the end of Sora's call to his twin.

"Just bring him along."

"I don't care if he doesn't like the cold."

"Make puppy eyes at him."

"You're not trying hard enough. Just get him to come with you. Flirt if you have to."

"What?"

"Why not? I know you want to, you know you want to, he knows you want to, everyone knows. Don't act so dignified when really you just wanna—"

"Okay, okay, fine. Geez. See you in a few." The brunet hit a button on his phone to end the call then turned and rolled his eyes dramatically. "How did I get stuck with a twin who can't admit the obvious?"

"I have no idea," Kairi humored him, though she cast a knowing look at Riku that made the older athlete smirk.

Sora sighed again and slumped onto his bed. "He's coming. Axel might not, but either way Roxas'll meet us outside. Riku!" As if he'd just now noticed the silver-haired athlete, Sora threw himself off the bed he'd barely settled onto and bounded up to his best friend. "Did you watch any of your new movies yet?"

The older boy quirked his nose. "Uh, no."

"Why not?" Sora made a sad face, as if Riku should have spent the last three days doing nothing but watching the movies the brunet had given him.

"I'm pretty sure you're supposed to watch them with me," Riku pointed out, "and you haven't come over, so I haven't watched them."

"Oh, yeah! Well I'll come over tonight after dinner and we'll watch one!"

It was clear in his expression that Riku could think of plenty of things he'd rather do than watch dancing movies with Sora, but he kept his mouth shut and nodded to avoid ruining the enthusiasm in his friend's tone.

"Cool! I'll bring the leftover popcorn!" Spinning, Sora picked up his scarf and hat and gloves. "Let's go! Roxas' probably waiting!" With a spring in his step and his arms swinging at his sides, the brunet led his three friends from his dorm, hitting the light switch on his way out, and down to the lobby.

Outside, the sun was reflecting on the snow that had been on the ground since the day after Christmas. There was no fresh powder, so the sidewalks were still cleared to make things easier for those students who would be returning today and tomorrow. Everyone had to be back by New Year's Eve, when the school hosted a party, because classes started again on the third and the school didn't want to risk anyone having to miss a day because of airport traffic.

"There's Roxas!" Sora pointed across the courtyard to a blond figure coming towards them. The four were unsurprised to see a much taller, redheaded figure following along behind the blond, though Axel's shoulders looked hunched and they could tell he wasn't exactly happy once he and Roxas were closer. "I knew he'd come with. He'd do anything to spend time with Roxas," the brunet whispered, leaning closer to Kairi and Riku but keeping his eyes on his twin.

"Yeah." Riku resisted the urge to say, "I know the feeling." Still, he let his gaze slip to Sora every few moments as the four students stood waiting for their friends to reach them. There was that familiar excitement in his eyes, the eager way he leaned forward a little as if that would make Roxas and Axel walk faster, or speed up time or something like that. He was grinning, straight white teeth on full display, and Riku was pretty sure the brunet was fidgeting around in his pockets. Sora had a hard time keeping still when he was excited or impatient, and he was definitely both of those things at the moment.

"Just wait until Roxas finally admits he likes him back," Kairi replied just as quietly, keeping her lips mostly still so that Roxas and Axel wouldn't realize what she was saying. "_That_ will be fun to watch."

Sora nodded. "Especially after all the crap that happened last semester."

"What happened?" He'd only caught part of what his twin was saying, but Roxas had the uncomfortable feeling that he'd been the topic of a conversation. The way Kairi and Sora had been staring at him as he walked had been a little strange. Even for them.

"Sora and Riku are having a friend-date tonight," Kairi replied before Sora could say anything, and the brunet started slightly.

"What!" he exclaimed, eyes darting to Riku then back to her. "It's not a date!"

"I said a _friend_-date, genius."

"Well why not just say we're hanging out?!"

"Because you're going to watch dance movies and eat popcorn and probably share a blanket. If that's not a friend-date then I don't know what is." Her description of what she imagined the two boys were going to do made Sora's face turn pink and Riku looked at his boots in a self-conscious way.

In all honesty, that was exactly what they'd both figured would happen. Though Riku knew he was going to want to cuddle the brunet, and Sora knew there was probably going to be some flirting and a fight over the blanket before they agreed to share. Still, having Kairi say it like that was a little embarrassing, especially since Roxas and Axel were standing there and they both looked way too amused by the whole thing.

Finally, Sora let out a frustrated huff and turned away from his redheaded friend, striding towards the courtyard. "Fine. It's a friend-date. And it's going to be way cooler than whatever you losers are going to do. Now let's have this snowball fight already!"

The five other students watched him for a moment before following, all with various expressions of amusement or exasperation or embarrassment, though the last was just Riku.

"Hey, Roxas," Namine spoke up quietly but loudly enough that the other blond heard her and paused so she could catch up, "did Zexion not want to come? Demyx didn't answer my text."

"He's in Demyx's room," Roxas answered, and Axel grinned lazily.

"Dem came over to help him unpack, then they both went over to the junior hall." There was something in his tone that caught Roxas' interest.

"Why do you sound so pleased about that?" he asked suspiciously, not entirely sure he wanted to know the answer. It was Axel, so there was a chance it would be a reason he didn't want to hear.

"I'm just glad the lovebirds are together again, that's all."

Okay, that was too innocent of a reason to be the truth, but Roxas didn't push it. He was still just glad he'd gotten the senior out of his dorm, though he would never admit to Sora that his idea of using puppy eyes had worked. And flirting. Yeah. He'd flirted with Axel. Just a little, because he hadn't been brave enough to do it for more than a couple minutes, but it had happened. And he wasn't entirely sure how to feel about the nervous flutters that still occupied his stomach.


	55. Chapter 55

"How much longer, Dem?" Really, he hadn't expected his return to campus to go quite like this. Yes, having Demyx meet him in the senior hall to help him unpack had been nice—and they'd shared several kisses whenever Axel and Roxas hadn't been looking—but when the blond junior invited him back to his own dorm, he hadn't thought he'd be told to turn around and close his eyes and wait because Demyx had a surprise for him. He didn't want a surprise—surprises meant he couldn't be prepared and he hadn't had to deal with uncertainty since he first realized he liked the mulletted musician and didn't know what to do about it. But he trusted Demyx so he tried to be patient.

"Just a sec."

Zexion didn't reply to that. He didn't believe that it would really be only another second—it had already been more than that, anyway. And what sort of surprise would Demyx even have? They'd opened presents on Christmas. There shouldn't be anything else. Really, why did he have to wait? He had thought this trip would be to make up for all the kissing and intimacy he'd missed out on during the break. And there he was, standing with his eyes closed, back to the dorm while Demyx did who knew what. He hadn't even gotten to see the room—Demyx had made him close his eyes while they were still out in the hall.

_This is ridiculous._

"Okay." There was excitement mixed with nervousness in Demyx's voice. "You can look."

Finally. Prepared to act impressed with whatever surprise this was, Zexion opened his eyes, turned around, and froze.

Holy shit.

What? How was…? Why…?

"Dem…you're…"

The blond smiled shyly and crossed his ankles, twisting his hips and shoulders as he looked at the other teen. "I'm what?"

"I…" Wow, he was speechless. That didn't happen very often. Really, though, he'd been entirely unprepared for this. His Demyx, the sweet, shy, talented musician, was wearing the exact opposite of anything Zexion had ever thought he would see on the blond. It was all black, for one thing, and while it looked good on him he thought the younger student would have chosen some color for himself.

Wait, no, that was ridiculous. Demyx would never have chosen anything like this for himself, black or otherwise. Not without someone encouraging him.

_Axel._

This had to be his redheaded roommate's doing. No wonder he'd been so friendly as they were leaving to come to the junior hall. That asshole.

"Zex?" Demyx wasn't smiling anymore, had drawn his shoulders up and lowered his head, arms holding each other over his belly. "Is…something wrong?" he asked quietly, hardly daring to look at the senior and suddenly ashamed of himself.

The look in his eyes put pain in Zexion's heart. The younger boy was looking at him with something dangerously close to fear and that was unacceptable. There should never, ever, be a reason for Demyx to be afraid of him. Ever.

"No, I'm just," Zexion paused to gather his thoughts then smiled slightly. "I'm surprised, is all."

"Oh." The almost-fear faded and was replaced by a sad sort of embarrassment. "You just didn't look very happy, so…"

Still with the smile he'd managed in place, Zexion crossed the small distance between them and wrapped his arms around the blond, hugging him gently. "I'm happy because I'm with you, Dem."

Hesitantly, Demyx returned the hug and nuzzled into the blue-haired student's neck. "But the outfit? Do you like it?"

"It's…not what I expected," Zexion hedged. Truthfully, he did like it. It was surprising to see and he was in a state of mild shock but that didn't mean he didn't think it looked good on his boyfriend. "It looks good on you, though."

Demyx smiled hopefully. "Really?"

"Really." Good, he'd gotten a smile out of the blond. That was progress. "But I'm curious—what made you decide to get it? It's not your usual style."

A blush appeared on the younger student's face and he shrugged a little. "I thought it'd be a nice way to welcome you back to campus."

The adorable little idiot.

Amused, Zexion kissed his boyfriend's forehead and hugged him a little tighter. "Holding you like this is all I need." The blond hummed happily and snuggled closer for a moment before drawing away slightly.

"So, um, is there anything else you want to do?" he asked shyly, smiling and playful now that he knew he wasn't in trouble. Zexion's expression had been pretty angry when he'd first seen the outfit and at first Demyx had thought he'd done something wrong. He was glad that wasn't the case.

"Mm…yeah." With one hand, Zexion cupped the younger boy's cheek and lifted his face, kissing him softly. A sigh escaped the blond and he relaxed against the other's chest, letting his eyes fall closed as he returned the kiss. It wasn't what he'd had in mind when he'd gotten the outfit but he enjoyed it all the same. He always enjoyed it when Zexion kissed him. The older boy was very good at kissing, after all, and Demyx was never happier than when he was with his blue-haired boyfriend.

Slowly, the broke apart, and there was a light dusting of pink of Demyx's cheeks when he looked up to find deep blue eyes watching him. "Zex…"

"Hm?"

"I…" He hesitated. The words sat on his tongue, heavy and hard. Should he say it? Was now the right time? They hadn't been dating for very long, as Zexion always reminded him, only a few months now. It was probably way too early, but he was tempted. So, so tempted.

No, he wouldn't say it. Instead, he smiled and pressed his forehead to the older boy's. "I'm glad you're back."

Zexion returned the smile. "Me, too." His hands were resting on the blond's lower back, the tips of his fingers just low enough to feel the edge of lace. He wanted to stroke it but resisted because he didn't want to make Demyx uncomfortable, even if the outfit had been the blond's idea. It wasn't really much of an outfit though, when he thought about it. The junior was wearing lingerie, nothing but lacey little black panties with a sheer skirt that hung over only the first few inches of his thighs. A strip of the same sheer material was draped over his chest, likely tied in the back, with a ribbon looped around his neck to hold up it up. All of it was hemmed with lace that contrasted nicely against the junior's skin.

Damn, Demyx looked good. It had shocked Zexion to see it, but there was no denying that he liked the way his boyfriend looked in this sort of…attire.

"Zex, that tickles."

What? Oh, oops, he'd started stroking the skin of Demyx's lower back while he'd been distracted thinking about the fabrics that only concealed the most private parts of the junior's body.

"Sorry," he murmured, pulling out of the hug and making sure to meet the younger student's gaze so that he wouldn't stare at any other part of him.

Demyx smiled crookedly and slid his hands up from where they'd been resting on the blue-haired senior's chest to wrap his arms around Zexion's neck. "It's okay. It wasn't a bad tickle."

"No?" Teasingly, the senior let the fingertips of one hand lightly trail over Demyx's lower back, grinning when the touch made Demyx arch slightly.

"Nn…."

Their eyes met again; Zexion used his free hand to lift the junior's chin, his touch painfully close to that sensitive spot on the underside of the younger boy's jaw.

"You look great, lark, but I have to ask: where'd you get this outfit, and why did you pick it?"

Demyx blushed, eyes darting down to what part of Zexion's hand he could see. At any moment, the senior might stretch out a finger and stroke the soft skin and he'd melt. For now, though, he forced himself to focus.

"Um…I ordered it online…" Which really was the only option because there was nowhere nearby that Demyx could have gone to buy it in person, unless he somehow found a way to get to the city, but he didn't have a vehicle so that wasn't really an option.

"Okay. What made you pick this outfit? We haven't talked about anything like this before." Sex was a topic they'd only breached once, right before Zexion left a couple weeks ago. Other than that, they didn't talk about their likes or dislikes, any kinks they might have. Honestly, Zexion didn't know if he even had any kinks. But Demyx in lace might very well be one.

"Well…after we didn't, before you left, when I went to get my present from your room, I talked to Axel for a little while…"

As he'd first suspected, this was Axel's doing. "And he helped you choose."

"He gave me advice on what you might like, cause he knows you so well."

"Right." Zexion cleared his throat and tried not to look embarrassed. "He wasn't wrong about this."

A sound somewhere between a chuckle and a giggle escaped the blond and he shifted his weight from foot-to-foot. "So, do you wanna do anything?"

"Heh. Yeah. I'd very much like to kiss you."

"Then what are you waiting for?" Demyx asked playfully, leaning forward to press against the other student so that the flimsy top he was wearing caught on Zexion's clothes and shifted against the junior's skin. It tickled, especially on the more sensitive spots, and Demyx was hard-pressed to keep from rubbing against Zexion just to increase the sensation.

"Mm." Gently, Zexion shifted his grip on the other boy's chin and used one finger to stroke the skin under his jaw. He felt Demyx's chest expand suddenly as the blond inhaled, saw his eyes widen and recognized the slight tremor that went through him. "That." And he kissed him, gently, drawing away just slightly every few moments so that Demyx never had the chance to really kiss him back. It was a teasing, playful way to kiss, one that he knew would drive the junior crazy, which was exactly what he meant to do. Only fair after Demyx had dressed like this.

Eventually, Demyx whined and pulled back, pouting at the older boy. "Zexion!"

"What?"

Frowning and with his bottom lip sticking out, the blond pulled out of his boyfriend's embrace and turned away, walking towards his bed. "If you're not going to kiss me for real, then you don't get to touch me at all."

Zexion smirked and followed the blond—he meant to do a great deal more than just kiss him.

X

Cold and tired and more than ready to relax for a few hours after such a long snowball fight, Roxas, Axel, Sora, Riku, Namine, and Kairi trooped towards the sophomore dorm hall. They were all slouching, their feet dragging, and they worked to dust the snow off their clothes by the time they reached the doors. Sora got there first and held the door open for his friends. It was just before dark, and the temperature was dropping rapidly, so it was a relief to get inside to the heated air and protection from the wind that was starting to pick up.

The last to come inside, Riku stopped by Sora and grinned at the brunet. "Nice try, Brat, but you still can't beat me."

Rolling his eyes, Sora let the door swing shut and started after the others. "I call a rematch, just you and me."

"Fine with me."

"Good. Tomorrow after lunch. One-on-one. Then we'll see who beats who."

"You're not gonna win."

It was crowded as they all filed onto the elevator, but they were still cold so they didn't mind having to stand close together. The plan was to go to Sora and Roxas' room, though the brunet would be leaving after only a few minutes to go to Riku's room and watch dance movies with the older student, as he'd promised to do earlier. Good thing, too, seeing as their dorm would barely have managed to hold them all otherwise. But with Sora and Riku there, they could all settle comfortably while Roxas started up the cocoa machine.

Sora was quick to change into comfortable, dry clothes and grab a few essentials before he headed to the door. "Be back in the morning, Rox."

"Have fun." The blond waved as his twin and friend disappeared, the door shutting quietly behind them.

Neither boy said a word as they made the trip to Riku's room. They hadn't had a chance to talk much during the last few hours, and now that it was quiet, they weren't really sure what to say. This was going to be the first time they'd hung out one-on-one since the biting incident and Sora didn't know how he was supposed to act. Yes, Christmas had been fine, and nothing weird had happened since, but there had been other people around so how much did that matter?

"Um, so what movie do you wanna watch first?" he asked once they'd reached the older boy's dorm, and Riku shrugged. Great. Noncommittal body language was exactly what he wanted to see. Ugh. "Let's get them all out and then we'll vote."

"Kay."

As Sora had suggested, they gathered all the dance movies the brunet had gotten his friend for Christmas and set them out on the floor to examine.

"I really like _Footloose,_" the younger commented, trying not to sound like that was the only one he wanted to watch but also wanting to make sure Riku knew he would be okay with watching that one if the silver-haired athlete wanted to, too. But the older student didn't say anything, merely sat there looking at the movie cases with absolutely no expression.

Seriously, were they going to have to revert to the childhood method of Eeny Meeny Miny Moe?

"You know what," Sora began, pushing himself to his feet and heading for the futon, "they're your movies. You pick." He sat, pulling his legs up and tucking them beneath himself to wait. If Riku was going to be uncooperative then Sora wasn't going to waste his time trying to get the other sophomore to go any faster. It would be easier to just sit and relax and wait.

Several minutes passed in silence before Riku finally picked up one of the movies. "_Dirty Dancing_?"

"That's a good one."

Riku nodded and got up to put the disc in his player then turned around. "Let's move the futon out so we can sit on it to watch."

"Kay." Standing, Sora helped the other boy to pull the futon out from under the loft and centered it in front of the TV and its systems. "Popcorn?" he asked once they'd gotten it set up.

"Yeah. I'll get the blanket."

It wasn't like it was cold in the dorm, but a movie like _Dirty Dancing_ practically required popcorn and a blanket. Which meant they were most likely going to cuddle, just like Kairi had said earlier. But Sora didn't let himself get his hopes up as he took the plastic off one of the bags of popcorn then stuck it in the microwave and punched in the right amount of time. The way things had been going, he didn't want to expect things to go back to normal just to be disappointed. Why should he expect Riku to want to do anything like cuddle or flirt after the way he'd run off? It wouldn't be fair to the other athlete and it would be stupid and selfish of him to assume.

When the microwave beeped, he waited a few moments for the popcorn to fall silent then carefully removed the bag. He pinched just a corner of it and shook gently to make sure none of the kernels were stuck to the inside of the bag. Carefully, he pulled at the opposite corners until the top of the bag came open, then switched corners and did the same thing the other way so that it was open all the way.

"Do you have a bowl?"

"Under the sink."

Bag in one hand, Sora retrieved the bowl and poured the buttery snack into it, stealing a few pieces before he threw the bag in the trash bin and dropped onto the futon. The movie menu was playing on Riku's TV, waiting for them to select Play or Scene Selection or Bonus Features. A folded up blanket sat beside the brunet and Riku was busy adjusting the TV's volume. Sora ate another couple of pieces of popcorn while his friend found the right remote and joined him on the futon.

"Ready?" Riku asked, looking over at Sora, and the younger boy nodded.

"Ready."

The Play option blinked when Riku pushed the right button on the remote, and the menu disappeared to be replaced by the opening scene of the movie. Riku set the remote down and picked up the blanket instead, shaking it open and then laying it down over his own lap.

Out of the corner of his eye, Sora watched the older boy and silently wished that Riku would look at him and ask why he was so far away, why hadn't he already moved closer to share the blanket, and tell him to quit hogging the popcorn. But Riku's attention was completely focused on the TV, and as much as Sora had wanted to watch these movies, he didn't like the way it was going so far.

"Come on," Riku suddenly spoke up nearly fifteen minutes into the movie, and Sora looked at him in surprise.

"What?"

The older didn't say anything else or look at the blue-eyed sophomore, merely moved the blanket and held his arm up, gesturing for Sora to come closer. Obediently, the brunet crawled over the short distance of empty futon between them and settled next to the teal-eyed boy. Riku's arm wrapped around his shoulders and pulled until he was leaning against the other student, comfortably tucked into his side. The blanket was rearranged to cover both their laps, and the popcorn was balanced on where their thighs pressed together.

Warm and comfortable and considerably happier than he'd been a minute ago, Sora let his entire body relax against Riku's muscular frame and sighed quietly. Perfect.


	56. Chapter 56

The snowball rematch didn't happen after lunch the next day. A snowstorm began during the night and continued through morning into the afternoon, and even though Sora and Riku had been fully prepared to battle it out despite the weather, their plans were interrupted. Forcefully, Roxas and Kairi had moved the other two students into the twins' dorm and worked together with Namine to keep them there. Which meant the snowball fight had to wait even though the two hadn't quite given up yet.

"It's not even that bad," Riku commented from his spot sprawled on top of Sora's bunk. "Hats and scarves and gloves and we'd be fine."

"Look, it's lightening up," Sora joined in, not taking his gaze off the windows; he was seated backwards in his desk chair to watch the snow fall. "It's just flurries now."

Roxas didn't look up from the card game he was playing with Namine. "No, it's not. You're not going outside in that."

Dramatically, Sora sighed and slumped against the chair back, his expression melancholy. "You're no fun, Rox."

"I'll take being boring over getting pneumonia."

Sora and Riku exchanged hopeless looks then simultaneously sighed and went back to their bored lounging; Roxas rolled his eyes.

"At least they're back to their old selves," Kairi commented. She was sitting on the floor near Namine, leaning against Sora's bed as she painted her toenails an icy shade of blue.

A small smile appeared on the blond's face. "I'm not sure that's a good thing."

Behind his brother's back, Sora made a face at the other boy then smirked when he noticed Riku grinning at him. The next moment, he pushed himself up off the chair and crossed the room to his bed. "Scoot over."

Quietly, Riku shifted over so he only took up half the bed and watched as Sora lie beside him. Side-by-side, the two sophomores stared at the underside of Roxas' bunk.

Minutes passed. Namine and Roxas continued their card game. Kairi finished painting her toenails and put the polish away.

"I'm bored."

"Me, too."

No one bothered to look at the athletes—they'd been saying the same thing all morning.

It was nearly fifteen more minutes before anyone broke the silence again, and this time it was Kairi.

"Are you guys excited for the New Year's party tomorrow night?"

Sora cast a glance at the silver-haired boy beside him before he shrugged. "Dunno. I guess."

"Yes, he is," Roxas answered Kairi's question as if his brunet twin hadn't said anything. "He's just pretending he isn't because we're making him stay inside. It's some sort of useless payback."

"Ha!" Riku poked Sora in the side. "They've got you completely figured out, Brat."

"Shut up!" Smacking the older boy's hand away, Sora glared at the brown underside of his twin's bed. "Roxas is just saying that 'cause he doesn't want to be more excited for it than I am."

Indignant now, the blond boy sitting on the floor straightened and frowned at his brother. "Don't lie to him about me."

"I'm not!"

"Sora."

The brunet crossed his arms over his chest and scrunched up his face, lower lip sticking out slightly. "I'm not that excited about the party. We'd have just as much fun here as we would at any dance. What's the big deal?"

"You could dance with someone," Namine suggested in her usual soft tones. "It's a good way to catch up with friends who left for the holiday."

"Dance with who?" Sora huffed, expression now bored. "There's no one I want to dance with. Why would I?"

"Yeah," the other athlete agreed. Unbeknownst to the two lying on the bed, the other three teens looked at each other in exasperation.

"For fun, idiot." Stretching her legs out and wiggling her toes to admire the shiny color she'd so carefully applied to the nails, Kairi kept her tone light. "We danced at Homecoming, remember? You had plenty of fun then."

"Yeah but that was when having friends was new. Now I think I'd spend the whole time wishing I was playing videogames or something."

"You can play videogames whenever you want," Roxas pointed out as he laid down a card. "School dances are only a few times a year."

"A few times a semester, you mean," Riku corrected him. "Homecoming, Halloween, New Year's Eve. Then it'll be Valentine's Day, the Spring Fling, and Prom."

Blue eyes turned to Kairi for confirmation. "There's a dance on Valentine's Day?"

The redhead nodded and started examining her fingernails to decide if they needed to be painted as well. "Yep. Some of the students here celebrate Valentine's Day on New Year's Eve instead of in February, but there'll be flowers everywhere, and we can send Candy-grams and Valentine's cards and chocolates just like anyone else would do."

"That's kind of cool." Roxas glanced at his twin and friend before turning his attention back to Kairi. "Is there anyone you'd send chocolates to?"

The redhead paused at his question and Namine looked up quickly then tried to cover it up by busying herself with rearranging the cards in her hand.

"I don't know." Kairi did her best to sound casual. "I'd have to think about it."

Not appearing to notice the way the two cousins had reacted to his question, Roxas examined the cards in his hand and carefully laid one down. "Yeah. I mean, we don't really know very many people outside the group. Who would I even send a card to, other than you guys."

"I know who'll send you one." The sound of Sora's voice drew Roxas' attention to the beds.

"What?"

"Chocolates and flowers and a Valentine's Card. We all know who you're gonna get those from, Rox." He didn't sit up as he said it, and his eyes were closed, but Sora was smirking pretty widely despite the fact that no one could actually see his face at the moment. "You know who I mean."

So what if he did? That didn't mean he had to answer. He didn't want to give in to Sora's teasing, even if the brunet was right. Roxas knew exactly who his twin was talking about and he'd have to be an idiot to think he was the only one who knew who it was. Of course Axel was going to do something like send him chocolates. The senior still liked him, after all, and Roxas had accepted that. He was perfectly fine with it. Why did Sora have to try to push it at him all the time?

"Just picture it."

Clearly, his twin wasn't picking up on his thoughts.

"He'll have roses, and one of those heart-shaped boxes of the chocolates with different fillings, and a cutesy card asking you to be his Valentine."

Roxas closed his eyes and held in a sigh. Imagining the scene his brother had just described was easy, even the way Axel would smile as he offered the gifts. It would be cliché and embarrassing and…sweet. Very sweet.

_I couldn't say no, could I? It'd be mean to turn him down. Why would I, anyway? He's been really nice lately and I like him just fine now. Of course I'd say yes._

He'd have to give Axel something, too. But what? Did the senior like chocolates? Would it be stupid of him to find out what the senior's favorite flower was? A card was practically required. The only difficult thing about that was finding one that was actually suitable, one that wasn't overdone or too basic. It wouldn't be easy to find one that matched the situation he was in with the older student, or all the things that had been happening between them. Cards like that probably wouldn't work too well for Valentine's day.

"Roxas?"

A hand waved in front of his eyes and the blond blinked a few times before he realized that Namine was looking at him in concern.

"What?" He smiled embarrassedly.

The blonde girl lowered her hand and gestured at their game. "It's your turn."

"Right. Thanks." Still embarrassed that he'd gotten so distracted by something over two months away, Roxas glanced over the cards in his hand and laid one down. He wasn't entirely sure what game they were playing, just something slow-paced and simple. They were passing the time, was all.

"Namine, are you going to paint your nails for the dance?" Kairi had decided hers needed a quick touch-up and retrieved her nail file from her bag. With a practiced ease, she drew it against her nails until they were even and perfectly rounded.

"I don't know." The blonde sophomore shrugged one shoulder. "It depends on what I wear."

Kairi nodded her agreement. "I think I'm going to do mine in that seashell pink."

"The iridescent one?"

"Yeah."

"That'll be really pretty. What are you wearing with it?"

Deliberate in her movements, the redhead set the file aside and brushed her nails off, examining each one closely to make sure they were perfect. There couldn't be a single ridge or flake, or the polish wouldn't set quite right, and it would potentially snag on her clothes or catch on something and break. "I haven't decided yet," she said in response to her cousin's question. "A skirt, I think. Something fun. It's a party, so." The end of her sentence trailed off in its own silent explanation and the other students didn't question her further. There was no reason for her to sit there and list her reasons for wanting to wear a skirt—what she'd already said was enough.

"Well, I'm gonna go in jeans and a t-shirt." His tone stubborn and slightly petulant, Sora had gone back to his bored mood since teasing Roxas hadn't lasted very long.

Namine laid down a card for her turn. "They won't let you in. It's a formal party and you have to be at least a little dressed up to get in."

"Then I guess I won't go in."

"You're gonna end up spending the evening alone, then," Riku responded, his hands tucked under his head and his eyes closed so he could fall asleep if he waited long enough. "I'm going to the party, so you won't have anyone to hang out with."

"Sounds pretty boring to me," Roxas joined in, his tone hinting that it would make Sora boring to sit in their room by himself while the rest of the group went to the dance.

"I'd have plenty of fun!" the brunet twin protested, lifting his hands even though he had nothing to do with them.

Riku cracked one eye open and tilted his head so he could see the other athlete, the beginnings of a smirk ghosting around his mouth. "Yeah? Who're you gonna hang out with if I'm not there? Who're you gonna play videogames with?"

"Myself."

"Yeah?" Clearly, the silver-haired boy was egging him towards something, but Sora was too determined to prove he didn't need to go to the dance to notice.

"Yeah! I'll play with myself!"

Silence fell over the dorm following his statement as it dawned on Sora what he'd just said.

"Wait, no!" Sitting up, the brunet nearly hit his head on Roxas' bunk and waved his hands in front of himself as if to clear away his mistake. "That's not what I meant!"

"No, we get it." Riku had returned to his previous position and spoke in a light tone. "You don't wanna come to the party with us because you need some special alone time. It's cool."

His face turning red, Sora smacked the older boy's chest. "Shut up, Riku! I do not!"

Immediately, Riku sat up and looked at where Sora had hit him, then at the blushing athlete's hands. "Please tell me you wash those frequently." His comment only served to make Sora's face turn a dark shade of burgundy, and the blue-eyed sophomore glared at his friend.

"I said shut up!"

"Hey, no need to get all mad." Riku was plucking at his shirt to see if there was anything on it from Sora's hand. "I just don't want Essence of Sora on my shirt. I like this shirt."

Fuming now, the brunet shoved the older boy then turned angry blue eyes on his three laughing friends. "It's not funny!" His shout did nothing to stifle their laughter, so he huffed and got off the bed, climbing onto the ladder to sit on Roxas' instead.

Roxas held back his laughter long enough to shake his head and wave at Sora to come back down. "Hey, whoa, not in my bed! I have to sleep there!"

Angry tears were starting to prick at the brunet's eyes though he refused to let any of the other students see. Silent, he jumped off the ladder and headed straight for the door.

"Sora, we were kidding!"

The door slammed behind him as he stormed out of the room. A shocked silence remained, and Riku sighed as he rubbed his face.

"Great. I'll go get him." Pushing himself off the bed, Riku padded across the room in sock-covered feet and left, following the same path Sora had taken moments before. The brunet was several steps ahead of him, shoulders hunched and back tense, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. He was muttering what sounded like curses to himself. Even though he wanted to run and catch the younger boy in a hug, Riku hung back to give Sora a few more moments to calm down a little.

"Not funny…jerks…"

Yeah, he was pretty pissed. And even though he felt bad for upsetting the brunet student, Riku couldn't help but grin a little. Sora had walked right into that one.

Quietly, he caught up to the blue-eyed athlete and slung an arm around his shoulders. Sora glared and tried to shrug him off, but Riku was quick to turn the younger boy and pull him into a bear hug.

"Get off me!"

"Nope."

"Riku! I'll knee you in the balls!" Sora threatened, grabbing at the older athlete's clothes and trying to shove him away to no avail.

Not worried at all about the potential injuries he might sustain, Riku squeezed the boy in his arms, holding onto his own wrist to ensure Sora wouldn't be able to break free."Then I'll fall down and I'll take you with me."

"You're such a jerk!" The insult was muffled because Sora's face had gotten pressed into Riku's shoulder. He was still struggling, though his movements were less violent and slowly stopped. Within minutes, his arms hung limp and he was leaning against the older athlete's chest as he tried to catch his breath.

Smiling now, Riku simply waited for the boy in his grasp to say something. Really, he knew it was only a matter of time. This wasn't exactly like the time Sora had stormed out of the pool room, but it was close enough, and he felt bad for it, but there was no denying that Sora had overreacted.

When a few minutes had passed and the brunet still hadn't said anything, Riku shifted his arms and rested his cheek on Sora's shoulder. "You okay?" he asked quietly, and felt the younger student shrug just slightly.

Yeah.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you so mad. It was just a joke. I know you don't do things like that."

Sora still didn't say anything and Riku hugged him tighter, waiting until the brunet's arms loosely wound around his waist. That was better.

"You don't have to come to the party. If you really don't wanna go, then I'll hang out with you here."

"…I do want to." He did. He really did. The problem was that he wanted Riku to ask him to go and he knew the older boy wouldn't.

Riku smiled a little. "Then we'll go stag together."

Exactly. "Go stag" wasn't what he wanted. It was close, he supposed, because it meant Riku wasn't going to take anyone else as his date, and Sora wouldn't have a date, so they'd spend the whole time hanging anyway, but it wasn't the same thing. He wanted to dance with the silver-haired athlete he'd taken notice of so early on in the school year. The chances of that happening, when they'd only just gotten back to normal after Riku had bit him and he'd run, were slim to none. No way was he going to risk their friendship by pushing it, so going stag together was the best he was going to get. "…kay."

They were still holding onto each other, and were both glad that there was no one else in the hallway. All the other students would be back by morning, but for now they had the hall to themselves.

"We'll have that snowball rematch next week before classes start again, all right? And we can watch some more of those dance movies."

Nodding a little, Sora let his cheek rest against the older boy's shoulder. "Winner gets a back rub."

That made the silver-haired student chuckle. "Then you'd better hope you win, 'cause I'm better at giving back rubs than you are."

Humming noncommittally and now almost completely relaxed, Sora didn't bother responding. It seemed silly now that he'd stormed out the way he had, but he wasn't going to admit it. He'd told them to stop, hadn't he? And they hadn't listened, so he'd left. There was nothing wrong with leaving to get away from their teasing. But Riku had followed him again and refused to let him go off and be mad somewhere else. It was kind of sweet of him to make sure Sora was okay. If only he'd done the same thing when Sora ran after the bite.

_Why did I have to run away? There's nothing scary about a little bite. We were naked in a shower together—we'd probably be dating right now if I hadn't panicked._

His train of thought only made him hold tighter to Riku without him really deciding to do it. He'd spent a lot of time thinking about that night and come to the conclusion that there must be at least some mutual attraction between them. They were always flirting, after all, and Riku sort of knew that Sora wanted to kiss him. They'd actually talked a little about having sex. Not dating, but it still meant Riku found him attractive. And he'd called the brunet sexy more than once—no wonder showering together had been a temptation for him.

_And I'm just a coward who ran away, like I did after he smacked my ass in the locker room and like I did now._

He didn't want to run anymore.


	57. Chapter 57

As soon as he walked through the doors, Sora stopped dead in his tracks. His jaw didn't quite drop, but it definitely went a little slack, and his expression stayed that way as he followed the group farther into the building.

"Our gym," he breathed, partially horrified and partially impressed.

If he hadn't known this was where the New Year's Eve dance was being held, he wouldn't have easily believed this was even the gym. This room definitely didn't look like a gymnasium. It was decked out with streamers and tinsel, lights hung from the rafters and a glowing sign on the wall read, "Happy New Year!" in large, bolded letters. Part of the floor space had been left open and surrounded by colored, flashing lights to provide a dance floor. The rest was filled with round tables, and long rectangular tables of snacks and drinks ran along one wall. The bleachers had been covered over with colored tarps to disguise them.

"Wow." Riku was more impressed than Sora was. "This looks great." If they'd been standing any closer to the dance floor, where fast music was already playing for the students who had chosen to dance, it would have been difficult for his friends to hear him. But they'd congregated around a table where they were draping their coats over chair backs, so they merely nodded their agreement and continued looking around at the decorations.

"Look how cute Demyx and Zexion are," Namine commented, pointing subtly in the direction of the couple. Senior and junior were on the dance floor, Demyx smiling and laughing as Zexion tried not to look embarrassed at his lack of dancing experience. It was obvious the blond was much more in sync with the music, and he had hold of Zexion's hands to try to guide him along with the beat. And as frustrated as the older clearly student was, he was smiling, and every time he looked at Demyx, he smiled a little more, and he was trying rather than giving up. Namine was more than right—the two were cute.

Without saying anything or hardly moving at all, Riku let his gaze slide over to the brunet standing beside him. Seeing the two older students together like that made him want to grab Sora's hand and drag him onto the dance floor. It would be fun. If he didn't do it, he'd spend the whole night thinking about it.

He still didn't do it.

_Coward._

Yeah, so? His last move hadn't exactly gone very well and he didn't feel like embarrassing himself at the moment. But he kept glancing at Sora and hell, was the younger boy looking back at him? Did he want to…?

Shaking himself, the silver-haired athlete straightened and jerked his chin in the direction of the buffet tables. "Come on, Brat. Let's get something to drink."

Sora nodded absently and followed the older boy between the round tables, weaving their way towards the snacks and drinks. He probably should have paid more attention to where he was going, but he just followed the sound of Riku's footsteps so he could keep looking back over his shoulder towards the dance floor. The figures of Demyx and Zexion were still easy to tell from the other students—that looked like so much fun.

"Too bad we don't have dates," he commented with false sorrow as Riku picked two little plastic cups and filled them with red punch. "Guess we can dance with Kairi and Namine, though."

A derisive snort was Riku's only reaction, and he turned a moment later to hold out one of the cups. "You can dance with Kairi if you want, but I'd rather go stag."

"So you're not going to dance at all?" Sora took a drink of punch to cover up any disappointment that had slipped into his tone or expression.

"Not unless it's with the person I actually want to dance with."

"Oh."

_Oh? Brilliant."Oh." You're a suave guy, Sora. That's the perfect way to get him to dance with you._

_Oh._

"Who?" he asked, hoping it wasn't too late for a second response and that his first hadn't put Riku off the topic completely.

"Somebody."

_Frustrating jerk._

But Sora hid that reaction and rolled his eyes instead as he took another sip of punch. "Come on, Riku, it's not like I'll make fun of you or anything. Who is she?"

Teal eyes flashed in the dim lights for just a fraction of a second. "Who said it was a girl?"

Admittedly, Sora's heart leaped a little at that. "Who is he, then?"

Riku was quiet for several moments, then he shrugged noncommittally. "Nobody. Don't worry about it."

It was harder to hide the new wave of disappointment but Sora did his best. "Whatever."

For a moment, the two stood there not looking at each other, then Sora refilled his cup and started walking back towards the table where he and the others had left their things. Riku didn't hesitate to follow him and reached the table just a step behind the brunet sophomore.

"Where'd Roxas go?" Sora asked as he set down his cup, and Kairi, smiling widely, pointed towards the dance floor.

"Axel."

True enough, there was his blond brother, probably blushing and mumbling, on the edge of the dance floor with a very easily recognized redheaded senior. Axel was standing behind the sophomore, his hands on Roxas' shoulders as he leaned down to talk next to his ear. Roxas was shaking his head but it was obvious that Axel wasn't about to take no for an answer. In seconds, he'd pushed the blond out onto the dance floor then moved around to stand in front of him, now gripping his hands and trying to guide him out farther as Roxas continued to shake his head but didn't resist in any other way.

"Doesn't he know how to dance?" Namine asked, curious and amused by her blond friend's helpless refusal.

Sora couldn't help the grin that spread over his face. "Nope."

Oh god. Oh god oh god. Ohhh god.

He wasn't—this was not—_what?_

"Come on, Rox." Axel was grinning at him, weight leaning towards the dance floor. It was all very obvious what he wanted, but Roxas still hung back uncertainly. His hesitation took some of the eagerness out of the older boy. Concern replaced the grin and Axel stepped back towards the blond, still with Roxas' hands clasped in his own. "What's the matter?"

Embarrassment made the blue-eyed sophomore look at his shoes. "I don't know how to dance," he admitted quietly. Axel was forced to lean closer just to try to hear him over the music.

"What?"

"I," Roxas hesitated before raising his voice, "I can't dance!"

It took a few moments for his words to register, then Axel's grin was back and he tugged at the younger boy's hands gently. "That's okay, I'll teach you. It's easy." He paused as the current song ended, then smiled brightly when a new one began. "Dance with me, at least."

Roxas felt his face heating in embarrassment—this new song was slow—and nodded shyly. Smile still firmly in place, Axel gently pulled him out onto the dance floor among the other couples that were already making lazy circles. Nerves made the blond glance around before he stepped up to the taller boy, resting his left hand on Axel's shoulder and letting his right hand sit inside the older boy's. This was dancing he'd had some training in, but he wasn't exactly good at it. He was barely confident that he wouldn't step on Axel's toes or something.

The senior was smiling down at him and Roxas couldn't manage to meet his gaze. But he could feel those green eyes on him, and knew his cheeks were an embarrassing shade of red even if it was too dark for anyone to tell. As they turned, just another dimly lit couple on the dance floor, he kept his focus on moving his feet as an excuse not to look up at his partner. That is, until Axel used the hand on his waist to draw him closer, and lightly squeezed his hand.

"Roxas." Despite the music, it would have been impossible for the blond sophomore not to hear his name being whispered. Now it would have been rude not to look at him, so Roxas took a steadying breath before he lifted his chin.

_Holy shit._

They were so close that their noses almost brushed, and their chests were pressed together, and Roxas was pretty sure the older boy could feel his heart hammering behind his ribs. He could definitely feel Axel's, though the senior's was considerably calmer than his own. The other thing he really couldn't help but notice, being this close to the redhead, was that Axel had freckles. They were faint, and there weren't very many, but they were there, hiding behind those upside-down-tear-drop tattoos. Add that to the vibrant red of his hair and deep green of his eyes, the paleness of his skin and his tall, slender figure…well…

Wow. Axel was, for lack of a better word, hot.

Okay, okay, so he'd already accepted the fact that the senior was attractive. There was no denying that. Whatever. But now was different. Now he knew, without a doubt, that he was attracted to him, and he wasn't entirely sure how he felt about that.

It sort of felt like getting punched in the gut. Unexpected and unfair, a shallow blow. But it also made his chest feel tight, and he thought that if he opened his mouth to say something, he'd just squeak. The fact that they were so close was nerve-wracking, and with Axel looking at him like that, smiling just a little and his eyes hooded, he was starting to feel a little weak in his knees.

Part of him wanted to go up on his tiptoes and kiss the senior. The rest of him wanted Axel to lean down and kiss him. A moment later, all of him was embarrassed and flustered, and he looked away from the older student in an attempt to gather his thoughts.

Axel's fingers shifted against his back. "Something wrong?"

They were still moving in slow circles, completely oblivious to the other students around them.

"No…just…haven't done this before." That was true enough.

"Yeah, me neither."

Surprise made Roxas look up again, his expression one of disbelief. "What? Nu uh, you have to have danced before."

An easy grin spread over the redhead's face. "Nope. Not like this."

"Then what have you done?"

The senior shrugged, though his expression was a little smug. "Tango, salsa, samba, some swing. Ballroom, too, but this is…not that."

Roxas swayed his head side-to-side. "Fair enough."

Chuckling, Axel allowed a little more space between them, though Roxas wasn't actually sure he wanted that anymore. The song was nearing its end, and he knew that once a faster song came on, the redhead was going to try to teach him how to dance. And he knew it wasn't going to go well, and that he wasn't going to be able to get out of it.

Eh, at least he was going to be spending time with the senior he was apparently so attracted to.

X

That little brat.

From her place by the punch bowl, Larxene had a much too clear view of her least favorite student. Making big eyes and acting all shy just to get Axel to dance with him. Pathetic. If she hadn't been stuck serving the drinks, she'd have gone over there and shown him what real dancing looked like. She knew Axel was a talented dancer and she knew she was good enough to be his partner. Much better than the kid, at any rate. It was just her luck that teachers were chaperones, and she'd been assigned to the punch bowls.

_Waste of an evening. Waste of a dress._

Black with a white lace back, it draped over her frame and fell elegantly to her ankle. The hem was uneven, stopping at her knee on just one side, and the lace came over her shoulders to the heart-shaped neckline. It wasn't as revealing as she would normally have worn, but since she wasn't dancing, and since it was cold outside, something like this was a little more appropriate. Besides, what would be the point in showing off her figure if there was no one around to appreciate it?

Disgusting. She didn't even want to look over and see them flirt. But without anyone to serve punch to, she had little else to focus on. So she watched with narrowed eyes, her arms folded over her stomach, as her Axel took the blond baby he was so infatuated by and spun him then pulled him close. Her eyes narrowed further—had he just kissed the kid's cheek? The nerve! Hadn't she told him what would happen if he didn't drop the brat and come back to her?

_I'll kill him. I'll get rid of him once and for all._

Evidently, detention wasn't going to be enough to scare him away from her pet, and it didn't seem to have worked to bring Axel back to her, either. If she wanted the redheaded senior back around her little finger, then she was just going to have to be more aggressive.

X

The party had been going for over an hour and Kairi hadn't danced a single slow song. She'd stood at the edge of the dance floor to watch Axel dance with Roxas, and Sora with Namine once, but otherwise they'd abandoned the floor in favor of snacks and drinks. She didn't mind it, particularly, but she was getting pretty annoyed with Riku. He was standing around like it didn't even occur to him to dance with Sora for any of the slow songs.

Really, what was so difficult about it? All he had to do was ask. That was it. Simple.

_He's so stubborn._

Just looking at the silver-haired athlete's stoic expression made her want to roll her eyes. He had to recognize Sora's body language. The brunet had his hands clasped behind his back and was rocking back and forth on his heels and toes. His expression was one of light interest as he watched the other dancers, carefully controlled so it wouldn't be wistful or longing. Everything about him said, "ask me to dance," and it was driving Kairi crazy that Riku hadn't done anything yet.

"He'd better do something," she muttered, just loud enough that Namine heard and glanced at her.

"What?"

Kairi jerked her head just enough to indicate their teal-eyed friend. "Riku. He'd better ask Sora to dance soon, or I'm going to lose my mind."

Understanding lit the blonde's eyes and she glanced furtively at the two males standing beside her. "Do you think he will?"

"Not without a push."

They both looked over this time, not even bothering to pretend they weren't, and watched as Sora paused in his rocking, looked at Riku, sighed, then returned his attention to the dance floor. Eyebrows lifted in exasperation, Namine looked at her cousin and widened her eyes, head tilting forward just slightly as if to say, "Seriously?" Kairi nodded once then slipped behind the blonde, moving past her so she could lean close to Riku.

"Quit being so proud," she hissed, "and ask him."

Riku didn't so much as turn his head. "I'm good, thanks."

This time, Kairi couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Do it or I'll tell him you have dirty dreams about him," the redhead threatened, watching as the taller student stiffened.

"You wouldn't dare."

"Are you sure about that?" Their eyes met; a silent challenge passed between them. Slowly, Kairi smiled, deceptively sweet. "Hey, Sora," the brunet looked at her expectantly, "did you know Riku—"

Before she could get the rest of the words out, Riku cut in front of her and grabbed Sora's wrist, dragging him out onto the dance floor. Though he didn't resist, the brunet cast a confused glance between his two friends as he was towed along.

"Uh…? Riku?"

The older athlete dropped his wrist and turned, glaring slightly. "What?" His tone was surly; he stood there, no longer touching the other boy, as couples danced around them.

"Wasn't Kairi about to tell me something?"

"No."

For a moment, they stood there, somewhat awkward, then Riku sighed and let his shoulders sag a little.

"You wanna dance?" he asked quietly, looking at Sora through his bangs.

Surprise widened blue eyes before his shyness turned Sora's face pink. He nodded, gaze lowered, and started when Riku stepped closer. One of his hands was grasped and lifted, and he was embarrassed to feel Riku take his waist.

"Come on, Brat," the older boy murmured, and Sora slowly placed his free hand on Riku's shoulder.

They eased into the dance, eventually matching the couples around them, and Sora became convinced that they were being stared at. Not because they were both guys—they weren't the only ones, anyway—but because so many of their P.E. classmates were there. Hercules was dancing with a curly-haired brunet. Eric had Ariel; Phillip was with a pretty blond, and so on. He had spotted just about everyone during the previous hour, and he wasn't entirely sure what they would think. That it was weird? That it was about time?

Riku squeezed his hand to gain his attention. "What's wrong?"

Shrugging, Sora focused his gaze on the taller boy's collarbone. "Just thinking."

"About?"

"I dunno. What people are gonna think." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Riku's arm hooked around his waist and yanked so he was flush against the older boy. He could help but take a startled step back, though he didn't manage to go anywhere, and it was a few seconds before he gathered himself enough to look up at his companion. Riku was staring down at him, eyebrows raised, clearly unhappy.

"I didn't realize that mattered." There was an almost sharp edge to his tone that made Sora feel kind of guilty.

"Well, I mean," he stammered out, even more self-conscious now because they'd stopped dancing, and Riku was holding him so close, and some of the other dancers were starting to notice, "I don't wanna get picked on or something."

Riku rolled his eyes. "You think anyone in this school would have the guts? We're the best athletes here, Sora, and not the only guy-guy dancers. Or is it because it's me? Are you embarrassed to dance with me?"

"No, of course not." How could Riku even suggest that?

"Then why do you care what anyone else thinks?"

That brought him up short. Why did he care? Everyone knew they were friends. They flirted all the time. There was nothing wrong with dancing. It just made him nervous because this was slow and close and intimate. It wasn't their usual friendly rivalry, and Sora wasn't entirely sure if this dance was as friends or if it meant more than that.

Forget what everyone else thought. What was he supposed to think? He wanted to ask, but he couldn't get up the nerve. Not with Riku looking at him like that, and besides, he hadn't answered the older athlete's question yet.

Lifting his chin, the brunet managed a small smile. "I guess I don't."

His response earned a grin, and Riku started moving him in slow circles again as the song continued. "Good."


	58. Chapter 58

His brother was so weird. Spring classes hadn't even started yet and the blond was at his desk with his books out. What was he even studying? It wasn't like they had homework.

"I can't believe you're studying _before_ we go back to class," the brunet commented from across the room. Sora was sprawled out on his bed, his hands tucked under his head and his eyes closed. He wasn't tired, but it was their last day of break before classes started and he meant to enjoy it to its fullest potential. So, he was being lazy.

Without looking away from his books, Roxas made sure to keep his tone light when he replied. "I just want to make sure I didn't forget anything important during break."

Sora snorted and rolled his eyes behind their lids. "Whatever."

The dorm was quiet for a while as Sora didn't quite doze and Roxas continued his silent perusal of his notes from the last semester. It was a peaceful way to spend the day, if not a slightly boring one. After a while, the near-silence was disrupted by the door opening and footsteps entering the dorm.

Roxas spared a glance over his shoulder. "Oh, hey, Riku."

Hearing his best friend's name was enough to get Sora to open one eye and look up at the older student. "Hey."

The silver-haired teen nodded in Sora's direction, though his focus was on Roxas. "What're you doing?"

"Reviewing my notes."

Riku looked at the blond like he'd lost his mind, obviously of the same opinion as Sora. "Okay." His attention turned to the other twin. "Brat, get your coat."

"Why?" Sora sat up this time, hands braced against the mattress to support his weight.

"Cause we're gonna have that snowball fight."

A wide grin spread over the brunet's face and a second later he was on his feet and headed for his heavier clothes. Riku watched as he pulled on a sweater and his coat, layered wind pants over his jeans, thick socks then boots, a hat and scarf, and, finally, his gloves.

"Took you long enough."

Ignoring the sarcastic remark, Sora made sure he had his phone and keys before he made for the door. "Come on!"

"Have fun," Roxas said absently as Riku followed his energetic brother out the door.

There was a definite bounce in Sora's set. After what felt like weeks, he was finally going to have a rematch against Riku. He was pretty confident that he'd win, too, which added to his enthusiasm. Besides, they were completely back to normal now, so this was going to be fun.

Well, not completely. They had danced at the New Year's Eve party, and Sora couldn't think about it without wanting to blush and mumble and look away from whatever he was supposed to be focusing on so that no one would notice. He thought about it more often than he would admit. And now they were going to have a snowball fight, and it would be just the two of them, playing in the snow together. Ah, god, he was getting embarrassed already.

"Battle to the death," Riku commented once they'd reached the courtyard, their chosen ground for snowball fights.

"You'll surrender before then," the brunet replied confidently, blue eyes shining with excitement. It was easy to put aside how bashful he felt when there was a competition to focus on instead. His response made Riku roll his eyes, though he was grinning a little.

"You wish, Brat."

The two stared at each other, throwing silent challenges, then simultaneously turned and walked to stand on opposite sides of the courtyard.

"Three," Riku called, loud enough that his voice easily carried to where Sora was standing.

"Two!"

"One."

Dropping, Sora landed on his knees and hastily began pulling the surrounding snow towards himself. No doubt Riku was doing the same, but he meant to be as fast as possible in forming his snowballs. It wasn't long before he had a small pile of them, and that was when he dared to peek over the top of the bush he'd hidden behind. There was no sign of Riku. Unsurprising, since the teal-eyed athlete wouldn't go down without a fight.

_He's gotta show himself eventually._

He had to. It wouldn't be a snowball fight, otherwise, and there was no other reason for them to be out in the cold. This was the fight they'd been waiting for, and no way were either of them going to simply hide the whole time. That wouldn't be any fun.

The brunet cautiously straightened a little more in an attempt to get a glimpse of his adversary then immediately ducked as a snowball sailed overhead.

"Give up now, Brat! You can't beat me!" the older boy's voice carried just as well now as it did before, even though he was still hiding.

"Not on your life!" Sora shouted back, ammunition in hand, knees bent so he wouldn't make a target of himself while he circled around the bushes. It was just his luck that he hadn't seen where that snowball came from, but he didn't mean to let that stop him for long. Riku would give himself away eventually—all he had to do was wait.

Another snowball landed in front of him and to his right, thrown just a little too hard and too soon to be right on target.

"I can see you moving!"

_What? How? Where the hell is he?_

Furtive now because he was apparently at a disadvantage, Sora crept past another bush then paused to see if another snowball would be thrown. He peered through the piney branches, blue eyes scanning those on the other side of the courtyard. They were more like small hedges, really, and winter had done nothing to the green pine needles they were covered in, but they were pretty thin and in some places he could see all the way through to the snow on the other side.

_There!_

Sora grinned when he spotted patches of blue and yellow through the hedge—Riku's coat. Without wasting a second, the brunet straightened and threw, watching the snowball he'd launched fly across the courtyard and shatter against the top of the hedge just above where his adversary's coat was showing through. He was crouching again before the older boy could retaliate, grinning to himself and making a new snowball. No way was he going to let Riku win.

There was no sound or sign of movement from the other side of the courtyard. Even though he was watching those telltale colors, the older boy didn't seem to be moving at all. Was he waiting for something? Planning a way to outsmart the younger sophomore? Well, whatever it was, it wasn't going to work. Sora was way too smart for that.

It was too easy.

Really, the brat thought he was so smart. He actually thought he could win? Ha. All he'd had to do was sacrifice his coat to the cold and hang it where Sora was sure to see. Sneaking around the ring of hedges was a piece of cake after that, and now he was only a few feet away from his target, snowball in hand and booted feet all but silent on the snow.

Two more steps.

One.

Triumphant grin in place, Riku lifted the snowball and brought it down straight on top of Sora's head. He crushed the snow into the fabric of the younger boy's hat so that it would soak through into his hair, and made sure to get some of it onto the back of his neck.

An instant later, Sora was on his feet, gloved fingers scrabbling at his neck to get the snow off but really only succeeding in working more of it under his scarf as it melted and dripped. "Holy shit!"

Riku couldn't help but laugh as he watched the brunet pull at his scarf and make loud, unhappy noises. Eventually, the cold faded and Sora relaxed again before turning narrowed blue eyes on the older boy.

"Where the hell did you come from?"

"My mom, probably," the silver-haired sophomore replied with a smirk, remembering that he'd used the same response months ago, back before he and Sora had become friends. It made the brunet roll his eyes and sigh in annoyance.

"You're such an ass sometimes."

"You like me anyway."

"Ch, you wish, Jerk."

"Only on falling stars and dandelions, Brat."

The two boys stared at each other, Riku grinning and Sora scowling even though he couldn't actually be angry. He was too used to Riku's sarcastic sense of humor to be annoyed with him. If he was honest with himself, he'd known that sort of response was coming before he'd even asked. Still, he scowled for nearly a minute before sighing and giving the older boy a deadpan look instead.

"Whatever." Stooping, he collected some snow into his hands and patted it into a ball then stood. "Put your coat back on before you get hypothermia or something."

"You're not gonna throw that as soon as I turn my back, are you?" Riku asked suspiciously, teal eyes full of mischief.

"Nope. No fun in that."

For another few seconds, Riku regarded his companion then nodded. "Fair enough." He turned and walked back along the circular hedge until he came to the spot where he'd left his coat snagged on a couple of branches. Being able to see the red of Sora's coat had given him the idea of using a decoy, and it'd worked just as well as he'd hoped. Maybe even better. But it was cold and he was shivering without that extra layer of protection, so he didn't waste time in donning the garment and zipping it all the way up to his chin. Within seconds, the cold began to fade from his skin and he smiled crookedly to be surrounded by so much comfortable warmth.

Riku lifted his arm and gave Sora a thumbs up. "Ready!" The only response he got was to have the snowball the younger student had made thrown at him. It was easy enough to duck, and he went low enough that he made his own snowball before he straightened again. Sora was no longer in sight, apparently hiding behind the hedge again. At least, that's what Riku thought, until he heard snow crunching under boots and turned in time to see Sora running towards him with two more snowballs in hand.

Blue-green eyes widening, the athlete took a couple steps back to give himself more space then widened his stance so he'd be able to dodge more easily. The first ball Sora threw was aimed at his chest, and he managed to twist and lean to avoid it. Unfortunately, the second struck his hip a second before Sora veered off course. He crouched as he ran, grabbing another handful of snow as he headed for the trees. Riku took a second to dust the snow off his clothes before chasing after the younger boy.

His breaths came in short bursts of white vapor, the cold air stinging his throat and lungs. Running winter was a lot different than running summer or fall or spring. If he hadn't been in such good shape, he wouldn't have been able to manage. But having Sora to compete with meant he was in better shape than ever, and that was saying something. It was cold, and his throat and lungs felt tight, but it was nothing he couldn't handle.

Still, heavier clothes slowed him down, as did the snow that repeatedly gave way under his boots. Not that Sora was any better off, but the brunet still managed to keep a ways ahead of him and ducked behind a tree several moments before Riku caught up. He approached the tree cautiously, and dodged when Sora reappeared, threw a snowball, then vanished again. When he reached the tree, he put his back to it then slowly began to lean around the side to see if his adversary was still there. He came face-to-face with the younger student and grinned, forgetting momentarily that he didn't have any snowballs ready. This being the case, it was Sora's turn to smash the white powder onto Riku's head, the real difference that the older boy didn't have a scarf, so the snow fell down into the collar of his coat.

"Mother of—!"

As Sora laughed, Riku scooped as much of the snow out of his collar as he could. It was cold, obviously, but he made sure to throw it at the brunet for a little bit of payback.

"Hey, hey! Stop it!" The younger student was still laughing, his cheeks flushed from running and the cold and happiness. His eyes looked so impossibly blue compared to all the white that was everywhere that Riku was actually a little stunned when he finally got rid of enough of the snow to notice.

_Wow._

Silent and slightly wide-eyed, he stared at the grinning boy for a moment before reaching for him. He wasn't entirely sure what he meant to do, but Sora noticed the movement and began to back up to escape.

"No way—whoa!" Boot slipping on an icy patch of sidewalk, the brunet's arms wheeled in an effort to regain his balance. Riku's reach turned into a grab as he tried to help by catching onto the younger athlete's coat sleeve, but both of Sora's feet were out from under him. He fell, unintentionally pulling Riku down as well, and hit the ground half a second before the older student landed on top of him. The double impact effectively pushed some of the air out of his lungs and made his blue eyes go wide. "Oof! Geez, you're heavy!"

Riku rolled his eyes as he struggled to push himself up off the other male. "Shut up, Brat," he half-growled, managing to shift his weight to his hands and knees so that he was over Sora but no longer lying on him. It was as he went to move away so he could stand that he realized how close he was to the brunet, how easy it would be to press against him again. He noticed how blue his eyes were, how pale his skin was without the summer sun, and that the longer he stayed there, so close, the more pink came into the other student's cheeks. Sora was staring up at him, hat askew, eyes wide, mouth open slightly in a tempting way.

Before he had a chance to second-guess himself or wonder if it would be okay, Riku shifted his hands in the snow, leaned down, and kissed the athlete pinned beneath him.

Sora's eyes went so wide he would have been afraid they might pop out if he could've gathered his thoughts. They'd scattered like dropped marbles and rolled in every direction until he was left with just one little glass ball in his hand—Riku. The older boy was all his mind could focus on, was the only thing that existed. Not the cold of the snow seeping through his clothes as he lay there, or the slight discomfort of having landed kind of hard after his fall. No, all that registered was the weight on his chest, the slight warmth of breath, and lips. Lips that were pressed against Sora's.

_They're soft._

All the marbles rewound, speeding back into his grasp until the brunet had control over his body again. His eyes slid closed; he wrapped his arms around Riku's neck and pressed back just a little. The pressure shifted and he felt Riku's lips part, felt breath then a tongue against his own lips. Embarrassingly, he jumped, face flushing darkly, and Riku pulled away. Their eyes met, and Sora struggled to keep his shyness under control.

Slowly, the silver-haired boy grinned. "I knew you wanted me to kiss you." It was teasing, and as embarrassed as Sora was, he couldn't resist smiling.

"It's not like I tried to keep it a secret," he responded, arms still around Riku's neck to keep the older boy from moving any farther away.

"Okay, fair enough." His grin still firmly in place, Riku kissed the brunet again. Longer this time, and with a little more pressure, though he didn't push it. As much as he wanted to claim the younger student's mouth the way he occasionally did in dreams, he wasn't about to risk scaring the blue-eyed boy away again, so he kept his lips together even when Sora pressed up against him in return.

They were kissing. Finally, after months of friendship and a bit of fighting and more flirting than any of their friends should have had to endure, they were kissing. In the snow, when they were supposed to be trying to outwit each other.

Eh, this was better than any snowball fight.

But Riku still drew away again after a few moments. "So," he began, waiting for blue eyes to meet his gaze, "I guess this makes us boyfriends."

Boyfriends? That wasn't something Sora had really thought about a whole lot. Yes, it'd occurred to him every now and then, but he hadn't seriously considered it. To be fair, he hadn't seriously considered that Riku might pin him down in the snow and kiss him, either. And he rather liked the idea of it.

A thoughtful smile lifted the corners of his mouth and he nodded slowly. "I guess it does."

"Kairi's going to have a cow when she finds out," the older boy pointed out, and Sora's smile became more devious than thoughtful.

"You mean if she finds out."

Mild surprise then amusement put a grin on Riku's face. "I knew there was a reason I liked you."

"You mean other than the fact that I'm a sexy little slut?"

Riku laughed, nodding. "Those shorts did look pretty fantastic on you."

"Well, if you're my boyfriend now, then I guess I'll have to wear them again for you sometime."

One of the older athlete's eyebrows went up while the other went down, his mouth quirking at one corner. "Really?"

"Yeah." Slight embarrassment made Sora look down and he fidgeted a little. "I mean, if you want."

It was quiet for a few seconds before Riku nodded slowly. "Yeah. Eventually. But, uh, we should probably wait a little before skimpy outfits become a part of our relationship."

"They're already a part of our relationship."

"Right, but that was for a bet. I want to date you, not have you as a sex buddy."

Hearing the older athlete say it was kind of cute, and Sora really couldn't keep the smile off his face. "Okay."

"Cool."

Still oblivious to the snow and the cold, the new couple shared another small kiss in the privacy of their winter-locked campus.


	59. Chapter 59

The alarm went off before the sun had come up, and both twins shifted in their beds. Sora groaned a refusal before rolling over and curling under his blankets. Oppositely, Roxas, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, sat up and yawned. And the loud beeping continued.

"Sora," he was breathless with sleep, "Sora, turn it off."

"Nm."

"You're closer."

It was true, since the clock was perched on top of the dresser, but the brunet made no move to abandon the warmth and comfort of his bed. Roxas managed a frown.

"Sora," he whined, clambering down onto the ladder so he could swing a foot around and kick the other boy. A flung arm was the retaliation, which missed, but at least the brunet wasn't completely burrowed into his blankets now.

"Get up. We have class." With a yawn, Roxas stepped down of the ladder and stretched, his arms over his head as he leaned back so that his spine popped. It wasn't a very pleasant thing to say after so many mornings of sleeping in and lazing around, but there was no help for it—spring semester was about to start.

An hour later, dressed and carrying their bags and rather unhappy with being out in the cold so early in the morning, the two brothers made their way across campus towards the school building. Countless other students did the same, all reluctant, some dragging their feet as if to slow time. Despite the now-shining sun and clear blue sky, it was a dismal morning.

"They'll go easy on us, though, right?" Sora asked hopefully as he and Roxas filtered into the building. "Since it's the first day back?"

Even though he'd prepared for today, Roxas was no happier about it than his twin. "I wouldn't count on it."

Sora's hope dissolved and he sighed, parting ways with his brother. "See you later."

"See you."

Alone now, Roxas continued on towards Vexen's classroom. He wasn't much looking forward to another semester of chemistry, but he still managed a smile when he walked through the door. How could he not, when Axel was looking at him with that big stupid grin?

"Hi," the blond greeted as he approached the older boy, slipping his bag off his shoulder and setting it on the floor beside his chair.

Grin still in place, Axel winked playfully. "Hey."

Trying not to blush, Roxas sat beside the senior. "Not sitting by Zexion today?"

"He likes having his own table. Plus, this way he 'won't have to watch me embarrass myself.'"

Roxas frowned in confusion. "Embarrass yourself?"

"By mooning over you when he should be paying attention," Zexion answered before Axel had the chance, not turning to look at the other two students. "It's easier for him to flirt with you if he's over there, and less annoying for me. Consider it a win-win situation."

This time, there was no stopping the pink that colored Roxas' face, and Axel kept his gaze directed at the tabletop. Flirt? Moon over him?

"Um. Thanks." Was it something to thank the blue-haired senior for? Maybe, maybe not, but either way, he couldn't think of any other way to respond.

"You're welcome." Zexion had never taken his eyes off the book in his hands.

More students filed into the room during the net couple of minutes, and Axel and Roxas sat at their table without speaking or so much as looking at each other.

_Well, at least Zexion wasn't watching us,_ the blond thought, so he'd fulfilled his purpose for having Axel switch seats. Still, this wasn't really how he'd imagined spring semester would start. _Last semester started with notes. Now he's sitting by me._ It sort of made sense when he thought about it like that. Maybe this was the only logical way for it to start.

That thought helped him feel a little less embarrassed.

Just before the final bell rang, Professor Vexen walked into the classroom and stood at the front in his usual place. "Good morning. I trust you all had a relaxing break and are ready to get back to work." He almost smiled then, as if he knew that wasn't the case and didn't particularly care.

"Crazy old bastard," Axel muttered out of the side of his mouth, and Roxas bit his tongue to stop a grin. "No one's ready to work today."

If the senior acted like this all semester, Roxas thought his chemistry grade might drop.

X

It was too funny. Sitting there, with Kairi staring at them so suspiciously, having to act like they didn't even notice, was almost more than Sora and Riku could handle. Their ability to contain themselves was practically a miracle, though they both knew they never would have managed it if they hadn't planned ahead.

"So," Kairi kept her voice low in order to keep Professor Vexen from looking up from his desk, "How'd the snowball fight go?"

Their physical science class had been assigned more than forty problems to do at the end of the chapter Vexen had spent the first half of class going over, and they were allowed to work in small groups as long as they kept their voices. So, the four friends, they three and Namine, who was keeping out of whatever Kairi was determined to get into, were working together, and were making good progress on the homework.

Glancing up from his text book as he marked down the answer to the net problem, Sora was noncommittal. "We tied." There was no reason to tell her just yet that they'd kissed in the snow and were going on a date within the week, or that the kiss had progressed to what would probably be considered making out. No one but them knew about that, and they didn't plan on telling anyone any time soon.

Since she knew them too well to be fooled by that response, Kairi half-smiled and raised an eyebrow. "And you're okay with that?"

"We're not surprised by it," Riku answered her, then leaned over to look at Sora's homework. "What'd you get for thirteen?"

The brunet pointed at his paper. "Eight."

"Eight? How?"

Pulling his book closer, Sora began pointing out how he'd gotten his answer while Kairi watched in suspicious disbelief. There was no way it was that simple, and she knew it. Those two were definitely up to something.

"See?" He was done explaining his answer to Riku. "Eight."

"Mmm….yeah, okay. Makes sense."

"You get to do the next one."

"Fair enough."

No teasing or flirting? Yeah, they were definitely up to something, and she meant to find out what.

X

"Good afternoon," Xaldin was almost cheerful as he greeted the class, all paired off and in their assigned kitchen units. "Since most of you went home for the holiday, we'll be making dishes from your holiday meals. Look through the ingredients we have and make the dish as best you can—experiment if you have to. You will be graded on creativity. For those of you who stayed on campus, make whatever you wish you'd gotten to have. Everyone understand?"

Murmurs of agreement and nods answered him, and the teacher settled behind his desk. "Good. Begin."

The kitchen units exploded with activity as the pairs all turned to each other to discuss what they should make.

When Roxas and Namine made eye contact, the two blondes were equally helpless.

"I have no idea," Namine admitted, and Roxas slowly nodded to show that he was no better off. They were painfully aware that no one else seemed to be having this sort of trouble.

"….let's just see what ingredients we have to choose from," Roxas suggested after a couple of minutes had slowly ticked by.

"Good idea."

Together, they moved towards the small fridge their kitchen had exclusive rights to, and opened it to find a hodgepodge of ingredients. Butter, fresh fruits, a few blocks of cheese, vegetables, a package of ham and one of turkey took up the space on the shelves; Roxas opened the bottom drawers to find a few potatoes and onions.

"Well, we could probably make something out of this," the blond boy was optimistic as he began pulling ingredients out and putting them on the counter. Meanwhile, Namine turned her attention to the cupboards.

"Pasta, spices, baking mixes….we could make soup."

"Fancy noodle soup?"

A smile now growing on her features, Namine looked at her companion and nodded. "My mom had this recipe she used to make, with noodles and turkey bits…it's been a while since I had it, but I bet we could get pretty close."

Roxas nodded, grinning enthusiastically, and took the turkey out of the fridge next. "Just tell me what to do."

X

It added an entirely new element to P.E., now that they didn't have as much sexual tension between them. They weren't any less competitive during the warm up laps, but there wasn't as much smack talk. Mostly, they acted like teammates more than rivals, and the entire class had noticed.

"They're confused," Sora whispered as he and Riku led the class in stretches, and the older boy smirked.

"Wouldn't you be?"

"Yeah."

When they'd decided not to tell anyone right away that they were dating, they'd only had Kairi in mind, but the cluelessness of everyone else was just as entertaining as their redheaded friend. It might convince them to keep it a secret for even longer than they'd meant to, though they hadn't set an actual time limit. They just wanted to see how long Kairi would last before giving up and flat-out asking them. Now, though, the game was a lot more fun.

Together, the athletes sat on the gym floor as the rest of the class followed suit, and started the second half of their stretches.

"How long should we keep this up?" the brunet asked, making sure not to speak loudly enough for anyone but Riku to hear.

Riku shrugged, drawing his knee up and pushing on it with his elbow as he twisted; his spine popped faintly, as did everyone else's as they copied him. "Until we get bored with it, I guess."

"That could take a while."

Refocusing so they wouldn't get in trouble for talking, the two finished out the stretches then clasped hands and pulled each other to their feet, grinning as they rose. When they were upright again, there was a moment when they were so close that Sora was tempted to steal a quick kiss just to see if anyone would notice, and he could see in the older boy's eyes that Riku was thinking it, too, but neither of them attempted it. Instead, they let go and stepped back, turning to look at Coach Xaldin.

"Finished!"

"Good." The dread-locked teacher waited as his students gathered around in a loose bunch, his clipboard tucked under his arm. "Since we're still trapped inside by the weather, we'll be playing kickball today."

That received responses of various levels of enthusiasm, though the murmurs were quickly stifled by a stern look from the coach.

"Captains," he began, and Riku and Sora stepped forward dutifully, "select your teams."

Immediately, the two turned to face their classmates, who didn't look nervous or apprehensive or even curious about what team they would end up on. To be fair, Riku and Sora had been pretty consistent about who they each picked during last semester. Maybe it was time to mix things up a little.

Riku smirked. "Roxas."

That got a reaction. Roxas was on Riku's team instead of Sora's? It'd never happened before, and everyone watched in confused silence as the blond went and stood by the silver-haired boy. Even Sora looked astonished, and he was staring at his fellow captain in astonishment, but Riku just smiled.

"Your turn."

It took a moment, but Sora gathered his thoughts and turned his attention to his classmates. Without Roxas to pick, he wasn't sure who he wanted first. Going with the usual would probably ruin whatever it was Riku was trying to do, but he didn't want to just switch teams entirely.

The brunet sighed. "Jim."

This went on for the next several minutes, with Riku choosing a mixture of his usual team members and those Sora usually chose, and the younger sophomore merely trying to keep the playing field even. He didn't know what his opponent was up to, but he wasn't going down without a fight. Eventually, the class was split between the two, and Coach Xaldin, meanwhile, had gotten the gym set up for the game.

"Captains, rock paper scissors for who's up to kick first."

Facing each other, Riku and Sora lifted their hands. "Rock paper scissors!"

Sora had paper to beat Riku's rock.

"We'll kick first," the brunet announced, and his team jogged over to stand in line behind first base while Riku's team spread out around the gym to play the outfield positions. Coach Xaldin waited for everyone to be in their proper places before he put his whistle to his lips and blew one loud, shrill note to signal them to begin the game.

Half an hour later, the gym class trudged into the locker room, sweaty and out of breath from the game they'd finished only moments before.

"I thought kick ball was supposed to be easy," someone commented, and Roxas glanced over his shoulder to find Axel just behind him. The blond smiled, his eyebrows drawn together and his face still flushed.

"Easy? With those two in charge?" He pointed ahead at his twin and Riku. "Not a chance."

Axel chuckled and pushed his hair back out of his eyes, his spikes holding a little lower than normal thanks to the sweat darkening his roots. "True."

Somewhat reluctant, Roxas parted ways with the redhead and went to his locker to get his towel, and was unsurprised that Sora had already gotten his and was heading for the shower. It made him smile a little to remember how nervous and out of place they'd been on their first day in this locker room, keeping to themselves and hoping no one would notice them too much, and accidentally meeting Riku. Now Sora was at the top of the class, right next to their silver-haired friend, and they got along with their classmates as if they'd known them for ages.

And there was Axel, of course, who was in his towel and was waiting for Roxas at the top of the few stairs that led down to the showers. With an embarrassed smile, the blond gathered his shower supplies, traded gym clothes for his towel, then joined him, following the senior down the stairs.

"Careful," the older boy warned at the bottom, "there's a puddle."

"Thanks." The last thing Roxas needed was to slip and hit his head on the stairs, or worse, knock Axel down.

The pair had to wait a few minutes for their classmates to finish and vacate a couple of the showers, which they then occupied. After hanging his towel up out of the way, Roxas cranked the water on to a nice warm temperature and proceeded to drench himself. He was lathering shampoo into his hair when Axel's voice sounded from the shower stall next to his own.

"How were classes today?"

Roxas had to smile. "They were all right, even with Sora complaining every time we got homework."

"Hey!" the brunet's protest echoed around the locker room, and chuckles from Roxas, Axel, and Riku followed it.

"He's right, Brat."

"Shut up, Riku."

"Please don't start making out in the shower," Roxas sighed, just loud enough for the others to hear, and the locker room went silent except for the running water, before everyone within earshot of the blond burst out laughing.

"Shut up!" Sora's voice rang out over the laughter, though he was oddly silent when no one listened to him, and Roxas could have sworn he heard a curtain moving without footsteps to match.

Suspicion settled in his stomach, but he didn't say anything as the laughter died down. If he was right, he didn't want to call attention to it with so many people around. So he kept his thoughts to himself and continued with his shower, listening to Axel hum under his breath. It was a nice addition to the sound of running water, and the song sounded vaguely familiar—maybe he'd ask about it later.

The handle squeaked when Roxas turned the water off, just as it always did, and he was quick to towel himself off so he could leave the shower stall. He'd only made it up the stairs when Axel stepped out of his own shower, and the blond couldn't help but feel like he should hurry and get some clothes on. It wasn't that he was uncomfortable with the thought of the senior seeing him in nothing but a towel—it wouldn't be the first time, anyway—but he did feel shyer about himself than normal. This being the case, he dressed rather hurriedly and kept his gaze lowered until he was decent, only then letting himself look up and smile at the older boy.

Axel jerked his head towards the showers. "They haven't come out yet."

Unable to help himself, Roxas rolled his eyes and moved to stand at the top of the stairs. "Sora, hurry up. I want to go back to the room."

"Uh," the brunet sounded distracted, "you go ahead. I'll be there in a bit."

That pretty much confirmed his suspicions. "I don't want to walk back by myself."

"I'll walk you back," Axel offered with a knowing smile, clearly also aware of what was going on. "We can work on our chemistry and calculus homework."

As reluctant as he was to leave his twin behind, Roxas didn't have any legitimate reason to say no, and it would be nice to get an early start on the homework, so he nodded. "I'll see you back at the room, Sora."

"Kay."

Exasperated with his brother's antics, the blond went back to his locker for his things, put on his coat, and left the locker room with Axel.

"They're ridiculous," he commented once they'd made it outside, voice muffled slightly by his scarf. "If they wanted to be quiet about it then they're not doing a very good job."

That got a laugh out of the older student. "They're just having fun, Rox."

"I don't know that I'd consider what they're doing as fun. I'd never do that."

"Ever?" Amused green eyes looked down at him as they walked.

"Ever," the blond affirmed, and Axel's grin grew just a little.

"If you say so."

Roxas spent the rest of the walk wondering at his companion's tone.


	60. Chapter 60

"Why did I let you talk me into this?" Namine kept her voice down. Sitting beside Kairi, surrounded by their fellow students, the blond couldn't believe she'd agreed to audition for the school's yearly musical. Performing was Kairi's thing more than it was hers—other than playing the flute, anyway. She preferred painting, sketching, things she could do away from watchful, judging eyes and display the finished product so no one would see it when she made mistakes. But Kairi had been so excited about the musical that Namine got caught up in it and came along.

"Because you love music, you're beautiful, and you have a lovely singing voice," the redhead replied absently, her attention focused on the script in her hands.

With a sigh, Namine looked at the copy she was holding. This year they were doing _The Wizard of Oz_, and Kairi was going to audition for the part of Glinda, the Good Witch of the East. Initially, she'd wanted to audition for Dorothy's part, but Ariel was auditioning for it, and Kairi had gracefully accepted that she wouldn't be able to out-sing the other redhead. So, she had decided on Glinda, and Namine was sure she would be fantastic at the role, but that still didn't explain why she'd agreed to tag along.

_I don't want to do this. I hate being on stage. It's terrifying. Singing in front of a crowd? Possibly by myself?_

She could feel her heartbeat increasing at the mere thought. There was no way she was going to be able to do this. Even performing flute solos was nerve-wracking—how was she supposed to sing? No, no, she wouldn't. Definitely not. This was not something she wanted to do in the slightest.

But when she opened her mouth to say so to Kairi, the words wouldn't come out. It was so quiet in the music room that she didn't want to disrupt it. To save herself from drawing too much attention from the other students in the room, Namine leaned until her shoulder was pressed against Kairi's and spoke in a whisper.

"Kai, I don't want to audition."

Vivid blue eyes beneath a creased forehead turned on her. "I thought you wanted to be part of the musical this year."

"I do, but I don't want to sing."

"You could just volunteer to be a background character."

"Well, yeah, but that doesn't sound like much fun." She would still have to show up for all the practices, and the costuming, and everything. Musicals were a lot of work, and that was time and effort she wasn't necessarily sure she wanted to give, not when she already had her art and classes to worry about. Maybe Kairi was cut out for that much work, but Namine didn't think she was.

"What about crew?"

Crew? Set design? Props? Backdrops?

"I could do that." It'd probably still take up quite a bit of her time, but at least she'd be involved in the musical without having to actively perform. Besides, she knew she could create sets and props. That was easy. Nothing heart-pounding or nerve-wracking about that. "Yeah. I'll be part of the crew." She felt much better for having decided and actually smiled as she set her copy of the script aside. The speed of her heart slowed, her head felt clear, and she took a nice, slow breath to relax her lungs. It was only after she'd calmed completely that Namine realized Kairi had been watching her throughout the process, which brought a light shade of pink to her cheeks. "What?"

"You told me it was gone," the redhead spoke quietly, her eyes searching the pale blonde's face. There was concern in the blue depths that made Namine feel a little guilty; she looked away.

"It is."

"No, it isn't." Shifting, Kairi faced her quiet cousin, her script discarded. "Mi-Mi, if you knew you weren't going to be able to do it, then why did you agree to audition?"

"You were excited," Namine mumbled. "It sounded like it'd be so much fun to be in the musical together, and with Ariel and Demyx and Rose. I really wanted to try." She had. Kairi's excitement was usually contagious, and even though she knew she struggled with having the courage to perform, she'd been swept up in it.

Only to chicken out when the pressure actually processed. Like always.

"I hate not being able to do it." Namine's voice wavered as she spoke, and she could feel her throat thickening, potential tears forming behind her eyes. "I want to be brave, like you, but I just can't, and I hate it."

Without a word, Kairi pulled the other girl into a hug and rubbed her back in a comforting manner. Namine leaned into her, taking a shuddering breath as she tried to quell her emotions.

"It's okay, Mi-Mi," the redhead soothed, her voice still low so they wouldn't disturb anyone or be noticed too much—attention by others would only make things worse for Namine. "Really. You'll be in crew, and the sets and props'll be absolutely perfect thanks to you. Hey, you know what? This kind of makes us even. If you sang and acted, too, I'd have nothing left to do with myself 'cause you'd outshine me on all fronts."

That got a little bit of a laugh out of Namine, and she straightened enough to smile at her cousin. "Even if I could, you'd still be better at it. Your voice is prettier than mine."

"You have a better range than me," Kairi pointed out, smiling to see the other girl happy again.

"Only on good days."

"Namine, I'm not really sure you have bad days." Smile still in place, she kept her arm around Namine's shoulders and hugged her again. "Next time, don't let me talk you into things like this, kay? You do whatever you're comfortable with, and that'll be good enough for everyone else."

Nodding, the blonde slipped her arm around Kairi's waist and returned her hug. "Thanks, Kai."

They leaned on each other, both much happier than they'd been a minute ago and just as excited to take part in the musical.

X

They were supposed to be watching a movie. At least, that's what they'd told everyone they'd be doing. But the TV wasn't on, there were no movies out for them to be choosing from, and they weren't anywhere close to making either of those things happen.

Instead, Riku and Sora had settled on the older boy's futon and were completely focused on one another. Both of Riku's hands were on Sora's waist, sometimes rubbing, sometimes pulling to draw the brunet just a little closer. Not that Sora was very far away. He wasn't pressed up against Riku, but he was rubbing the silver-haired athlete's chest, and was all but seated in his lap. One foot on the floor and the other tucked under himself, the younger sophomore would've been hard pressed to get any closer without straddling his boyfriend

The only reason he hadn't done that already was because they'd decided not. It would've been a little too sexual (never mind that they'd showered together more than once) and they wanted to keep control of themselves, at least for now.

So there they were, wrapped up in each other and kissing cautiously, but enthusiastically.

Sora thought Riku had really nice lips. They were soft, and moved against his own with confidence. Obviously, the older boy knew what he was doing, and that would have made Sora feel self-conscious if it hadn't been so distracting. It was really, really distracting, and he was enjoying himself enough that he whined in protest when Riku pulled away from him.

"Knock it off, Brat," the older boy scolded him, smiling. "We're not done yet."

The pout didn't leave Sora's face.

Rolling his eyes, Riku rubbed his hands up over the brunet's ribcage and leaned forward as Sora moved to meet him for a kiss only to be dodged, and had already started to whine by the time Riku's lips touched his neck' the sound instantly died in the brunet's throat.

With a smirk, the older boy drew away just slightly and licked the spot he'd just kissed. It almost made him laugh that Sora was holding so still, except for the really small shiver his lick had gotten.

"Relax," he crooned, tilting his head as he placed kiss after kiss on his companion's neck and under his jaw. His hands continued to rub Sora's sides, and, eventually, he felt the younger sophomore relax.

"Riku…"

His name came out on a breath and he pulled Sora closer, trading the kisses for a gentle bite that made the blue-eyed athlete's breath hitch.

"Riku," it was firmer this time, "people'll see."

The teal-eyed sophomore almost growled. "So?" He sat there, still close, examining the skin of Sora's neck and throat. It was easy to imagine what a hickey would look like against the paleness, and he really wanted to put one there. They were boyfriends now—shouldn't he be allowed to mark what was his?

"I thought we were keeping it a secret for now."

…damn it.

"No one has to know it's from me." Riku didn't actually like that idea very much—he didn't want their classmates to see it and wonder who it'd come from.

"Who else would it be?" the younger boy scoffed. "It's not like I've ever flirted with anyone but you."

"You flirted with Kairi."

"For like a week. And everyone knows we aren't a thing, anyway. If I show up with a hickey, no one'll even doubt it's from you."

This whole idea of keeping their relationship a secret was sounding less and less fun.

Eventually, Riku sighed. "I don't care." But he still didn't let himself bite, settled for a kiss to the corner of Sora's jaw. "I won't, if you don't want me to."

The younger boy hesitated. "…just not where someone else'll see it, okay?"

Oh, well, he could work with that.

Riku tried to hold back a grin with little success. "All right." Immediately, his hands slid down to grip the bottom hem of Sora's shirt and started to pull it up; his grin widened when the brunet lifted his arms. As soon as the shirt was high enough, Riku leaned and kissed Sora again, capturing his lips with more urgency than before. The shirt was tossed onto the floor. Riku's hands went back to Sora's waist, fingers gently massaging the lean muscle beneath skin. It almost tickled, had Sora wrapping his arms around the older boy's neck to pull them closer together. Shyly, he brushed his tongue against Riku's lower lip then looked up at him with uncharacteristic meekness. Teal met blue—a crooked smile hooked up one side of Riku's mouth and he caught Sora's chin in one hand.

"Who'd have ever thought you could be so cute?" he teased, then kissed the brunet before he had a chance to pout.

It was simple for a few seconds, just lips pressed to lips, then Sora got revenge for the teasing by catching Riku's lower lip between his teeth. Meeting the silver-haired athlete's surprised gaze, he smirked and tugged. The lip slipped free, and he licked it playfully as Riku stared.

The older sophomore raised an eyebrow. "Teasing, Brat? Really?"

"You teased first."

"Well, yeah, but not like that."

Sora rolled his eyes. "I'm sorry, I didn't know there were rules." His tone was heavy with sarcasm.

"That," Riku began, gesturing at the younger student, "is exactly why I call you Brat." Sora stuck his tongue out at him. "You're only making it worse."

Blue eyes rolled towards the ceiling. "Just shut up and kiss me, Jerk."

"You're really annoying sometimes."

The smirk on Riku's face made Sora narrow his eyes. They were supposed to be using now to make out, so why the hell wasn't he being made out with? They hadn't even gotten that far with kissing yet, and here Riku was being difficult.

_Asshole._

Still glaring, Sora grabbed the front of his companion's shirt and pulled until Riku nearly fell on top of him.

"I told you to shut up," the brunet growled, "and kiss me." He didn't give Riku a chance to respond, turning his attention to the older boy's mouth. With a little more force than was necessary but not enough to hurt, he bit that bottom lip again, and this time he held on long enough to suck and lick it; Riku's hands caught his waist and held him tightly, and Sora smirked.

If Riku thought he was the only one who'd be in charge when it came to things like this, he was very, very wrong.

Slowly, Sora let go, and immediately found his own lips captured in a rougher kiss than they'd shared before. Riku's mouth molded Sora's to fit, his tongue dancing against the younger boy's lips as his spine rolled to continually lean close just to pull away again. It was a maddening way to kiss, just as much of a torment as what Sora had done, if not worse.

No, no, it was definitely worse.

It only took about a minute for Sora, now breathless and frustrated, to push at Riku's chest as he let out a sound somewhere between a whine and a growl. "Riku! Stop it!"

"Stop what?" the older boy was innocent only in tone, his expression more than a little suggestive as he drew Sora closer again. "You mean you didn't like it?"

"That's not the point!" the blue-eyed boy flustered, his face reddening.

"Yeah, it is. The whole point of this is making each other feel good. So, did you like it?"

Reluctant and a little embarrassed, Sora refused to answer or even look at the older student.

The teasing light went out of Riku's eyes and he ducked his head to kiss the brunet's throat. "Sora," he murmured, but was interrupted by the sound of his phone chirping at him with the voice of some exotic bird. A borderline-annoyed sigh left him as he straightened and reached for the device. "Hello?"

Still embarrassed but curious, Sora watched him until the older boy glanced over and clicked his phone's screen to turn on the speaker.

"_What are you guys doing?"_ Kairi's voice, slightly robotic and fuzzy, asked.

"Uh," they looked at each other, "watching a movie."

"_You sound like you were running."_ Her tone was just slightly suspicious, and Riku and Sora shared a guilty-but-amused glance; Sora mouthed "oops" at the older boy, who grinned.

"Maybe we were dancing to the soundtrack," Riku lied smoothly. They both knew Kairi wouldn't believe that in a million years, but what else could they say? Admit that they'd been kissing for the last quarter hour and didn't really plan on stopping any time soon? She might not believe that, either, but no way were they going to give up their game just yet. Not when they'd been having so much fun with it so far.

"_Sure you were. But since I'm confident you two aren't actually watching a movie, do you want to come watch one in my and Namine's room?"_

"When?" Sora asked, his gaze on Riku.

"_In an hour. I assume that enough time for you to finish whatever nonsense you're up to."_

The two boys stifled chuckles at that. "Uh, yeah, that should be long enough to finish our movie."

"It doesn't feel like we're that far in," Sora commented, "but yeah, an hour should be fine." He didn't miss the raised eyebrow Riku was aiming at him, though he kept his attention on the phone for the moment.

"_All right, we'll see you then."_

"Kay." Riku hit the End Call option then set his phone down. "So," he grinned at the younger boy sitting beside him, "doesn't feel like we're that far in, huh?"

"Well, it doesn't."

"Hm." Thoughtfully, he nodded, then snaked an arm around Sora's waist and forced him so close that their chests pressed together. "Guess I'll have to fix that."

"I guess." As innocent as the words were, Sora's tone was far from, and he moved first to kiss his companion, head tilting just slightly. Riku pressed back immediately, his free hand settling on the brunet's thigh so he could squeeze playfully. The pressure sent a small thrill into Sora's gut, making him shift on the futon, and Riku slowly pulled away.

"Good thing we've got an entire hour," he said with a grin, then licked his lip as blue eyes tracked the movement, "cause I wasn't done kissing you yet."

The eyes lifted to his face. "Me neither."

Another grin. Riku lifted his hand from Sora's thigh to cup his chin, and kissed him again.


	61. Chapter 61

The classroom was full of idle chatter as the students waited for the bell to ring. Only a week into the semester, things had settled back into a comfortable routine. Even this was familiar, and Namine felt right at home sitting among her fellow art students. She already had her things out, and only stopped working when Mister Marluxia came into the room.

"I hope you've all used the past week to wake up your minds," the pink-haired teacher didn't bother to greet his students. "Today, the real work begins. Pick your favorite of the projects you've been toying with and finish it. That is your first assignment this semester."

Almost as soon as he finished speaking, a loud ring sounded from the hallway to signal the official start of class. Marluxia looked around the room expectantly then smiled. "Well? Chop chop! Get to work!"

Chatter filled the room again as students abandoned seats in order to gather supplies from the cupboards. It made Namine feel like the eye of a storm to be one of the few people who didn't join the whirl of activity, and she watched her classmates rather than start working again right away. She spent so many hours in this room with them, learning and practicing, but she knew the names of only a few of them, like Belle, who sat beside her. They'd talked about the projects on occasion, but never about anything outside the classroom, despite being within two feet of each other so often. It made her a little sad to think about. She didn't dwell on that for long, though, focusing instead on the project she wanted to finish for her first art grade of the semester. It was just a simple sketch for now, taking up a full two-page spread in her sketchbook. Simple, yes, but she had plans for it.

It would get a canvas, a big one, and Namine thought watercolors would be perfect—acrylic would be too solid. She wanted dreamlike. As for the colors, well, inspiration wasn't exactly hard to come by.

Absently, Namine's gaze drifted away from her sketchbook and landed on the one person she was absolutely convinced she should detest. She'd seen, after all. She knew what happened and that it was far from okay. There was absolutely no reason for her to be so distracted.

_I should be afraid of him._

She was, sort of. More like wary and confused than afraid. It felt like that wasn't quite good enough, like she just wasn't trying hard enough. She _should _be afraid, she _should _hate him for what he'd done. The problem was, even when it came to Mister Marluxia and what he'd done, Namine couldn't bring herself to hate anyone. And with the fine arts teacher in particular, hate was more difficult to achieve than she'd ever imagined. She couldn't even keep herself from looking at him.

This was starting to make him uncomfortable. Glances he was used to, but flat-out, repetitive staring was something else entirely. He felt like he was being examined, picked apart to be judged by his pieces rather than as a whole. He hadn't felt like this since he was just a boy, being tested for the first time. It'd been too many years since then for him to welcome the feeling.

And yet she was staring again.

_She's been doing it all school year,_ he reminded himself, but it didn't do anything to ease his discomfort. Truthfully, it was the fact that it was her and not a different student that forced him to notice it. If it had been anyone else, he probably wouldn't have cared or really even noticed. The problem was that he'd noticed Namine from day one, if only in passing, and she'd managed to keep his attention. Marluxia didn't trust himself to handle the situation on his own, not after what he'd done to Demyx.

_I didn't mean to hurt him._

That didn't change the fact that he'd made a disastrous mistake, even accidentally. Clearly, his experiences were not to serve as examples to follow. So he'd noticed Namine's interest, but he was entirely against the idea of finding out what kind of interest it was. He was not going to make that mistake again.

Still, she was a very talented artist. Some of the best work he'd ever seen came from her, and her skill with her flute was admirable. He would have been able to do more for if her her focus had been on music, but he knew she would do just fine with the skills and talents she had for art. There was still a little he could do to boost her chance for success, at least. He was just going to have to be careful not to overstep his bounds. He'd done well with Demyx, at first, so perhaps he merely needed to find the exact point where things had gone wrong and avoid repeating it. There was no real reason to withhold his knowledge from his students. What sort of teacher would he be if he didn't do his absolute best to pass everything he knew onto his students?

X

Okay. She could do this. Easy. Okay.

The cursor sat there, blinking, it's lack of movement across the page almost mocking her. This was ridiculous. It was just an email, and not even a long one. Just an email to ask one more time and then, as much as she didn't want to, admit defeat.

For what was probably the last time, Kairi was emailing Professor Luxord. She needed to be quick about it, because practices for the spring musical started today and she had to be back in the auditorium within fifteen minutes or her role would be given away. They were only given a short time to take their books back to their rooms and change out of their uniforms. Kairi was using it to attempt to write this, and making absolutely no progress.

Ugh, why was this so difficult? Frustration made her lift her hands to rub at her eyes, but she stopped herself to avoid ruining her makeup. It would take too much time to fix it before practice, and she'd already wasted more than she'd meant to on this.

_Dear_

No, not "Dear." It was too affectionate for someone who'd kissed her then ignored her completely. Kairi backspaced and started over.

_Luxord,_

_I still don't understand why you won't respond to me. Whether it's my age or the fact that you're my teacher—I know those aren't the real reasons. If you really believed that then we never would have gone out that night, and you wouldn't have kissed me. There has to be more to it._

_Please, just tell me. I'm willing to at least try to work it out. But if you're not, then don't reply to this, and I'll accept it. I won't bother you anymore._

_Still yours,_

_Kairi_

There, that sounded sincere without being too sappy or dramatic. It was a perfectly reasonable thing to ask, and a promise she fully intended to keep.

_He probably won't respond._

It made her sad to think about, but she refused to play the role that was typically assigned to girls in movies. She would not pine over him for hours on end or continue chasing after someone who had rejected her. Persistence was great and all, but there was a line. Kairi didn't want to fall into the clichéd role of the heartsick teenage girl, which was made even worse by the fact that it was her professor she was interested in. It was a situation that could easily be made into something far more perverted or insane than it actually was. There was not a single particle of her being that was okay with that happening.

This email would be the end of it.

Forcing herself not to hesitate or change her mind, Kairi clicked on the _Send _link, and watched the screen flash.

_Message sent!_

Kairi thought it was far too cheerful a confirmation for what she'd just done.

X

_Clink._

"Hah."

_Clink._

"Hah."

_Clink._

"That's eight." Sora grabbed the bar and helped Riku set it back into place on the bench's rack. The older athlete sat up and caught his breath for a moment, shaking the tension from his arms, then stood and traded places with the brunet. Months ago, they'd have had to take the time to switch out the weights, but not anymore. The competition between them had driven Sora to the point of being able to bench just as much as Riku could. Admittedly, he struggled with it more than the other boy.

Lying back, the brunet settled as comfortably as he could on the thin padding, then looked up to find Riku smirking down at him. "…what?"

"Nothing."

"Yeah, right." The sarcasm in Sora's tone was interrupted by the strain when he lifted the bar and carefully lowered it to his chest. His breath hissed between his teeth as he pushed it back up until his elbows nearly locked. Then down again.

Thanks to the still very cold weather, they were, unfortunately, confined to the gym, pool, and weight room for their workouts. Once they finished in here, they'd go jog a few laps in the gym to loosen up and cool down, then a quick round of stretches before showering. They were going to have the locker room to themselves, and were looking forward to it more than either wanted to admit.

"Hhhhuah," Sora's breath left him in a grunt of effort as he lifted the bar, blue eyes finding Riku's face once his elbows had locked.

"That's seven."

Despair that he still had to do another one filled the brunet's expression. His arms trembled under the weight of the bar, and most of his face was red. One more. It would be his thirty-second rep on the bench press, the last of three sets of eight. They'd done just as much at the other stations—squats, rower, leg curls and then some—and Sora was nearly exhausted. This last rep was going to suck.

"Come on, Brat," Riku had that smirk again, "it's only one more."

Sora rolled his eyes and fixed his grip on the bar. "Easy for you to say."

"Just do it."

"Yeah, yeah." Slowly, he lowered the bar towards his chest until it just barely rested there, then suddenly found Riku's face right above his own. The older boy was leaning over him, hands gripping the bar to take some of the weight off Sora, and he was smirking in that infuriating way of his. It made Sora more than a little suspicious, which he expressed in the form of a glare. "What?"

"Nothing." Riku began leaning closer.

If he could have, Sora would've moved away, but he was trapped on the bench by both Riku and the bar on his chest. There was nowhere for him to go as the silver-haired boy came close enough to kiss him. Sora didn't mind that at all, but he was annoyed by how soon it ended.

"All that for one measley kiss?" he scoffed as Riku let go of the bar and straightened. With a little difficulty, Sora pushed it up and set it on the brackets, then sat up and turned towards the other athlete. "Seriously?"

"You gotta wait 'til we hit the showers for the main event, Brat. That was just a little preview."

"Wow." Sora acted entirely unimpressed even though he was really looking forward to finding out what the "main event" was. "You're a cocky piece of shit."

"And you're a hot piece of ass. Can we go jog now?"

It was just like Riku to switch from teasing insults to sexual compliments during completely mundane activities. Okay, so working out together had always been sexually tense rather than mundane, but still, it was probably inappropriate.

As he stood, Sora stretched his arms over his head and cast a sidelong glance at Riku. "You know, you comment on my ass a lot, and call me sexy, but somehow it doesn't make me feel very attractive."

The older boy just looked at him, waiting for him to finish that thought, and Sora shrugged.

"Maybe it'd be nice to get a….polite compliment for once."

Polite compliment? What, he wanted to be told how pretty he was? That he had stunning eyes and a stupidly cute grin? Fine, then Riku would tell him.

With hooded eyes and just a hint of a smirk, the older athlete slipped his arms around Sora's waist and gently pulled him close, until their chests were pressed together with only Sora's shirt between them. The brunet let him, suspicious, but didn't react when Riku leaned his forehead against the other's.

"You want nice compliments, Sora?" he whispered, looking into the younger boy's eyes. They were still suspicious, but the lack of his usual nickname and Riku's tone made the flush in his cheeks start to darken again. "You want me to tell you how much I like your laugh? That you have the most amazing eyes I've ever seen, and that I picked on you all year so I wouldn't have to admit that I could've kissed you the first time we met? Or that your skin is so soft I wish I never had to stop touching you?"

Sora's face was deep red and still darkening, and Riku wasn't finished yet.

"I hated seeing you flirt with Kairi. Hated it. She was doing it to make me jealous, but I wouldn't give in. I should've, though. I should've kissed you the time we met, when you slipped and I caught you. You looked at me with your big blue eyes and I didn't even know what hit me. I panicked. I tried to push you away but I knew you'd accept the challenge of it. You're too stubborn not to. So I had to ignore your eyes and your smile every damn day, and then we became friends and I swore that was it, that was all we'd be, but you wouldn't let me. You just wouldn't let me forget about you. So, yeah, maybe I don't always give the politest compliments, but you'd better believe it's only 'cause I've said them so many times in my head that it's almost impossible to say them out loud. You're beautiful, Brat, and you've got another thing coming if you don't think you're attractive. You're beautiful, all right? Beautiful." Riku smiled then, just a little, because he didn't think he'd ever been so completely honest about his feelings before, not even to himself. And his little rant had left Sora so red in the face that the brunet couldn't even meet his gaze, but that was cute, so he just kissed the younger boy's nose and hugged him so Sora could hide his face in Riku's shoulder until the color started to fade.

"Thanks, Riku," he mumbled after a few minutes, relaxed as he listened to the teal-eyed boy's heartbeat.

"You're welcome."

They drew apart and smiled at each other, a little shy, then traded arms around waists for laced fingers to walk hand-in-hand from the weight room to the gym. Neither of them much felt like jogging anymore, but they were too dedicated and too familiar with the routine to let themselves skip it in favor of going straight to the locker room. So they jogged two laps around the basketball court lines, shooting frequent glances at one another accompanied by nervous smiles, then gathered their water bottles and Riku's shirt, and headed for the locker room.

Nerves made Sora's fingers tremble as he opened his locker and proceeded to strip out of his sweaty clothes. He'd already been a little shaky from how tired his muscles were, but this was different. This was excited nervousness because they were going to shower together and probably do more than just kiss like before. All they'd ever done was kiss, and hold onto each other's waists or hips or hands, but Riku'd said there was a main event, and now he was only a few minutes away from it. Geez, he needed to get this shaking under control or the older boy was going to think he was scared, and then nothing would happen at all. It wasn't even that he was scared at all, he just wasn't entirely sure what was about to happen. They hadn't really talked about things, other than agreeing to take their relationship slowly since their friendship had been pretty rocky at times. Besides, they'd only been together for a couple weeks, and hadn't even gone on an official date yet.

"Ready?"

Startled by the sound of the other boy's voice, Sora nearly jumped out of his skin, then forced a smile and gathered his shower things into his arms. "Yep." He'd never been so nervous in his life.

"Come on." Riku smiled at him, and it was surprisingly calming to see. The older boy didn't seem nervous or jittery at all.

Since their arms were full, they couldn't hold hands on their way down into the shower pit. Sora wished they could—it probably would've calmed him down a bit more. To be fair, he knew there was no real good reason for him to be so nervous. Riku'd been his friend for a long time, and being boyfriends didn't mean a whole lot had to change between them. They'd already flirted nonstop for most of last semester and pretty much all of break, and now they were actually doing something real. It was a natural step to take, and, more importantly, one he wanted to take. He wanted to know what it felt like.

His towel draped over his shoulder, Riku arranged his soap and shampoo on the small metal shelf just above the shower handles. "One shower or two?" he asked, gaze landing on Sora, who was self-consciously hiding his body with his towel.

Shit, what did he say? The water pressure wasn't quite enough for two people, but he didn't want to say two showers and seem like he was trying to keep space between them. "Uh…two, at first," he answered after a moment, smiling crookedly in a way he hoped would say that he did want to do whatever Riku had planned. The older boy smiled back and reached over to turn on the shower next to his own. Shy but doing his best to hide it, Sora hung up his towel and stepped under the spray of water.


	62. Chapter 62

The spattering of water against the locker room floor tiles was unnerving.

Completely exposed as he showered, Sora fought to keep his gaze from wandering to Riku. He didn't want to be caught staring. They'd showered together a few times before, but he'd never _looked…_

_Don't look. Shower. Shower first. Don't look._

So much easier thought than done. He could barely even focus on the shampoo he was supposed to be lathering into his hair. Riku was just too close, too _naked,_ and all those things he'd said before about wishing they'd kissed the first time they'd met, and liking Sora's laugh and eyes and smile, well, hearing all of that for the first time had left him more flustered than he'd ever been in his life. He could have kissed the older boy, if he'd have been capable of making eye contact. As it was, he was left with the desire to kiss Riku until he ran out of breath and none of the courage required to do so.

In his head, Sora was a mess. He wanted to kiss Riku but he didn't know where to start. Should he say something? Ask if it would be okay? Or would that be weird? Maybe he should just do it, just grab the older boy and kiss him. But if he did that, he had to do it at the right moment when there was no danger of shampoo getting in eyes or soap in mouths. He'd have to wait for an opening.

_Okay. Don't be obvious._

Sora snuck a glance at the boy in the next shower over, his hands busy rubbing soap into his rag.

_Damn._

He was never going to get tired of the way Riku looked without a shirt. It just wasn't fair—how could anyone be _that _athletic? He was only sixteen. He wasn't even done with puberty. What was he going to look like in two years? Three? What about when he was twenty? He'd be taller, broader in the shoulder and with more defined facial bones. Sora hoped he'd get to see that.

But, for now, he liked Riku just the way he was, and he smiled when the teal-eyed athlete pushed his hair back out of his face.

"Hey."

One of Riku's eyes cracked open to look at the brunet. "Yeah?"

Realizing only now that he didn't actually have anything to say, Sora widened his smile into a grin and remained silent. His lack of response made Riku stare at him, one eyebrow lifted higher than the other, until he turned and let his arms fall by his sides.

"Are you staring at me for a reason, Brat?"

"Do I need a reason to admire my boyfriend?"

"Admire?" Riku was almost smirking now, and moved just the tiniest bit closer to the younger student.

"Yeah. What else would I be looking at? I mean, we're showering together for a reason, aren't we?"

"Yes," they were almost chest-to-chest now, eyes locked, "we are."

Sora could feel his nervousness turning into anticipation. Being this close made it impossible to feel anything else. All he wanted to do was move even closer, pull Riku down, and kiss him. So he did. His arms wrapped around the older boy's neck and Sora arched his stomach into Riku's, lifting his chin at the same time that Riku tilted his head down. Hands stroked the brunet's sides and hips, frictionless and warm thanks to the water; Riku's lips were so close to his own that Sora almost thought he could feel them, but no, it was just the taller boy's breath.

Holding Sora close, Riku's gaze shifted between the brunet boy's vivid eyes and tantalizing lips. They were so, so close, and he could feel how badly Sora wanted to close the tiny gap that remained. It made him grin to know the younger athlete wanted to kiss him, almost made him giddy. After all of first semester and break, he was glad he didn't have to pretend anymore.

He could kiss Sora whenever he wanted.

Letting his eyes become hooded, the silver-haired athlete pulled Sora a little tighter against himself. "Ask me."

"M…" Sora looked up at the other boy, head tilting to the left, and smiled. "Can I have a kiss?"

"Please."

"Please."

A hand cupped his cheek and Sora's chin was lifted, Riku's lips wandering along the edge of the brunet's jaw.

_Jerk._

It wouldn't have been possible for him to think the word any more fondly than he did now. He was even smiling, completely at ease as Riku eventually made his way to the younger boy's mouth and kissed him softly, strong fingers still holding the brunet's chin up.

Both only half under the spray of their respective showers, the two boys held close to one another. They didn't clutch or grab or grip, there was no urgency in the way their mouths moved together or passing between their pressed-together bodies. It wasn't a fierce kiss or a particularly passionate one, but for Sora and Riku it was just fine. It was soft and patient and nice, and Sora knew a kiss like this mean they wouldn't be taking their relationship any further today. That was all right, though, because he hadn't ever imagined his first relationship would progress in a high school locker room. The showers were a good place for kissing and eventually for more, but those other things would happen somewhere else first, and they would be better for it.

X

"I can't believe we have this much math homework a week into the semester."

"Are you really surprised?" Axel sat beside the blond on his bed and moved back to lean against the wall beside him. "Mm…I mean, considering that we know Miss Larxene is pure evil."

"Okay, that's true." Setting his book aside, Roxas shifted so he was side-by-side with the older student and slumped his shoulders, sighing. "All these advanced classes are a lot of work."

"No kidding. I hate taking them as a senior—I'd never be able to take them as a sophomore."

"Yeah, well, I'm not sure I should be taking them as a sophomore." Roxas stared glumly at his textbooks, all too aware of the hours of homework he still had to do. It wasn't going to be fun.

"Hey," with a grin, Axel bumped his shoulder against the younger student's, "if anyone can handle these classes, it's you. Besides, if you weren't in them, then I wouldn't have gotten to meet you."

Roxas glanced at the older boy and felt himself blush at the way Axel was smiling at him. "…yeah…" He looked away, shy, his face turning even redder. "We wouldn't want that."

"Not at all."

The redheaded senior practically whispered it to him, and Roxas' blush spread down his neck. Why did being around Axel have to make him feel like this? It hadn't always, and the fact that it did now was hugely inconvenient. It was impossible to keep his cool and be casual when a simple glance from those green eyes could leave him so flustered.

Like was now, for example.

_This is so embarrassing._

He needed to calm down so he could get back to doing his homework, but Axel was far too close to him for that to be possible. The heat of the redhead against his arm and thigh made the rest of him feel much too warm—it definitely wasn't helping his blush go away. It would be much easier if he wasn't sitting right next to the senior. He'd be able to cool off and focus if he moved back to his original spot, but Roxas didn't move or even shift away. Yes, it would have been easier to focus on homework if there was a little space between them, but that didn't mean he actually wanted that space. Being flustered was embarrassing. Moving away would be almost painful. But staying close was giving him ideas that he was deeply embarrassed to have.

_I shouldn't want him to kiss me._

It made him feel guilty to have to tell himself that. The senior had kissed him once before and it had been awful, granted that was mostly due to the fact that Axel was drunk and they were at a party Roxas hadn't wanted to attend. But still, that "incident" had led to Roxas swearing he didn't want anything to do with the older student, and even though he didn't feel that way anymore and clearly harbored affection for the green-eyed teen, kissing him was out of the question. He couldn't do that.

"Hey, something the matter?"

"What?" Roxas was quick to push those thoughts from his mind and offered a smile to the older boy. "No, I'm fine." Well, clearly he wasn't any good at hiding how conflicted he felt about this.

Not even remotely convinced, Axel watched the blond sophomore's nervous fidgeting for a moment. It was kind of cute, and he couldn't help but grin a little. "You sure?"

The younger student nodded, fingers fiddling about with no purpose or aim.

"Okay." Axel leaned and kissed his companion's cheek, feeling Roxas stiffen beside him. As he drew away, wide blue eyes stared at him in shock, and he grinned. "Yeah?"

"….nothing…" His face had never been so red in his life, and Roxas snatched up his math text book in order to bury himself in numbers and equations rather than think about the fact that Axel had just kissed his cheek and that he was blushing and shy and so flustered the sophomore couldn't even think straight. But try as he might to focus on the assigned problems, he was still completely aware of Axel shifting beside him in order to pick up his own book, and of the self-satisfied grin on the redhead's face. Embarrassed, Roxas still felt himself starting to smile as a bubbly feeling built in his chest. Axel had kissed his cheek.

X

They'd never done this before.

Quiet, Zexion handled the wheel carefully and kept his eyes on the road ahead of them. It was snowing again, and very cold outside, but the heater kept even their toes warm. Still, he frequently glanced at the blond in the passenger seat to make sure that Demyx was comfortable. This was their first real official date, and he wanted it to be perfect. He wanted it to be a good memory for the other boy.

Another glance put a light blush on his face and he quickly put his eyes back on the snowy road ahead—Demyx had caught him looking.

"What is it?" The blond shifted in his seat to face the older student. "You keep looking at me."

"It's nothing," Zexion lied smoothly, his blush already fading as his usual self-control set in. "You look nice, is all." His compliment made Demyx smile and the blond settled back against his seat again, content to watch the snow drift past as they drove.

It was mostly silent in the car, comfortable with an underlying air of anticipation. Despite himself, Zexion risked several more glances at his boyfriend as they approached the city, and he was fairly certain that Demyx had noticed each one of them even though the blond didn't say anything. He was convinced of it by the time they parked, thanks to the ever-reddening state of Demyx's face and the embarrassed smile he was trying to get rid of. Watching him was amusing.

"Hey," Zexion leaned across the space between them, his hand finding the other boy's and lacing their fingers as green eyes shyly met his gaze, "you look fantastic."

The blush on Demyx's cheeks and nose darkened, his chin tucking towards his collarbone. "Thanks."

Zexion's eyes became hooded and he leaned closer, free hand finding Demyx's chin and tilting it up ever so slightly. "You're welcome," he breathed, already moving forward to press his lips to the younger boy's in a soft, short kiss. When he pulled back, Demyx blinked owlishly at him then smiled, and Zexion leaned his forehead against the blond's.

"Thanks for taking me out tonight."

"Not a problem at all. In fact," a smirk that he must have picked up from Axel replaced the blue-eyed senior's smile, "I'm sure it will be my pleasure." His flirtatious tone set Demyx to blushing all over again, and they shared another small kiss before separating and getting out of the car.

Hand-in-hand, the two boys walked towards the restaurant's front door in order to enjoy their first real official date.

X

Fingers tapping against the sketchbook she was holding, Namine stood behind her cousin and debated whether she really wanted to ask. Kairi was good with this sort of thing…or was supposed to be, anyway. She should be able to provide some advice, and if not, at the very least she could tell her what _not_ to do. That would be more than Namine had to go on at the moment. All she had right now was confusion.

She was definitely going to ask.

"Hey, um, Kairi?"

The redheaded sophomore turned her head slightly, her eyes still locked on the notebook she was doing her homework in. "Hm?"

"Can I ask you a question?" Namine's tone was even more timid than normal, which caught Kairi's attention enough that she put down her pencil and spun her chair around to face her cousin, concerned.

"Of course."

"What," fidgeting, the blonde searched for the right words. She wanted to say this in the clearest way possible without being too obvious about who she was talking about. Yes, Kairi knew, but Namine had yet to say it out loud and she was avoiding doing so at all costs. That would force her to admit she was in over her head and she definitely didn't want that. "What would you do if you liked someone that you don't think you should like?"

Taken aback by the question, mostly because she knew that feeling all too well but was also pretty sure that Namine didn't fully know about that, Kairi blinked rapidly. "…who do you like that you don't think you should?"

Namine ducked her head embarrassedly and fiddled with metal ring binding of her sketchbook until Kairi came to her own conclusion about it.

"Well," Kairi leaned back in her chair, finger tapping her chin thoughtfully, "I'd have to take a while to think about it. Try to figure out why I might like them and why I feel like I shouldn't, and weigh the two sides against each other. If there are more or better reasons to like them than to not, then I wouldn't feel bad about it. But if there were more or bigger reasons why I shouldn't, then I'd do my best to focus on that and get over it as quickly as possible."

"Okay." Namine moved back and sat in her own desk chair across from her cousin. "How do you know how big a reason not to is?"

"I guess that depends on what the reason is and how I personally see it. Or, in this case, how you see it."

Nodding, the blond hugged her sketchbook to her chest and twisted her chair idly. There wasn't much more advice she could get without spilling her guts, and she didn't much feel like doing that. Actually, she was pretty sure everyone would be horrified if they knew what she was thinking, and they might judge her for it even though she couldn't help it. She's been trying to forget about it for ages and just couldn't. But she'd do what Kairi said, and try to figure out if the reasons not to like him outweighed the reasons she did, and that meant she was going to have to take the time to organize her thoughts about everything.

The sketchbook was put aside and Namine picked out a regular notebook instead, pulling her chair up to her desk so she could focus.

_Okay, good points versus bad points._

Selecting a pencil, Namine traced a line across the top of the page then one down the middle. On the left column she wrote Good, and then Bad on the right. Okay, now came the hard part. How exactly did she phrase this? Did she do single word summaries? That would work all right for the Good side, but she didn't think it'd be adequate for the Bad side. Well, she would just start with the Good and decide about the Bad when she got to it.

_What exactly do I like about him?_

He was talented, that much was obvious. Talented and very refined in his mannerisms. Always so polite, as if he were addressing a room full guests rather than students. She definitely liked that about him. And he seemed perpetually cheerful, as though he were completely happy to be teaching a bunch of teenagers how to properly shade their works and to keep their hands clean when working with charcoal. It was like there was no such thing as a bad day in his world. Everything had a silver lining. Every w_as_ a silver lining, except for those days leading up to the Masquerade Ball. He'd been depressed for a while, but then he'd cheered back up as if nothing had happened, and Namine knew he hadn't done anything to Demyx after that. The blond had started dating Zexion, after all, and Mister Marluxia had clearly accepted the fact that he wasn't going to get what he'd wanted, and he seemed okay with that. So even though what he'd done was wrong, he couldn't actually be a bad person, or he'd be resentful and angry, right? Maybe it was silly of her to think he was dangerous….

_I'll be careful,_ she decided, still writing away at her list. _I'll find out what happened with Demyx and then I'll decide if I think it's a big enough reason to not like him. If it was a misunderstanding, or he didn't mean to hurt him, or he feels really bad about it and is sorry, then I can give him a chance._

It was all just going to have to depend.


End file.
